Community Briefs – March 18, 2020

Settlement Fund to close March 18-20

The Settlement Fund office will be closed on Wednesday, March 18, to Friday, March 20, 2020, in light of the state of public health emergency and continued state of significant emergency concerning the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The Fund will resume its operations on Monday, March 23, 2020, and will be available to assist members only by telephone, fax, or email between 8am and 5pm, Monday-Friday.
For more information, call 670) 322-3863, fax (670) 664-8080, or email: info@nmisf.com. (PR)

MLSC closed until March 31

The Marianas Office of Micronesian Legal Services Corp. will be closed for two weeks from March 18 to 31. While some staff may come in to the office during that time, we will not be open to the public. We believe this step is important because the COVID-19 virus is spreading in our region and extreme precautionary measures are being called for to slow the spread and “flatten the curve” of the pandemic. Gov. Ralph DLG Torres has urged everyone to stay home for two weeks and has closed down non-essential government work. The Marianas Office of MLSC believes it is important to participate in the attempt to slow the spread of the epidemic by closing and limiting contact with others. We apologize for the inconvenience. (PR)

Bank of Guam announces limited operations

HAGATNA, Guam—Bank of Guam announces that effective Wednesday, March 18, 2020, the Hagatna and Upper Tumon Branches will open from 9am to 4pm Monday through Friday, closed Saturdays. All other Guam branches will be closed.
In the CNMI, the bank’s Garapan, Rota, and Tinian branches will remain open from 9am to 4pm Monday through Friday and closed Saturdays. The Chalan Piao facility will be closed.
San Francisco, the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and Republic of the Marshall Islands Branches will keep normal operating hours. These operational hours will remain in effect until further notice.
Joaquin P.L.G. Cook, Bank of Guam president and CEO stated, “We recognize that doing our part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 requires us to make changes to the way we do business today. Because of this we have decided to take the necessary steps to put our people and our community first. This means that we will begin to scale down our operations to help support social distancing measures and to ultimately reduce transmission of this virus.”
He went on to say, “Over the decades, our Bank of Guam family has been faced with numerous challenges. We remain inspired by the resilience of our communities and how we emerge stronger. With your help and support, we will persevere through this. We are the people’s bank and we are in this together.”
For additional information, contact Jackie Marati at (671) 472-5258. (PR)

Women’s Mini Expo and CNMI Women’s Summit postponed

Because of the COVID-19 problem, the CNMI Women’s Association and the Women’s Affairs Office would like to inform the general public that the Annual Women’s Mini Expo and the CNMI Women’s Summit, scheduled for March 24 and March 27, respectively, have been postponed until further notice.
For questions or concerns you may have, contact us at 233-8978/9411 or cwa.fogumoro@gmail.com. (PR)

JKPL and Bookmobile Outreach Services closed until further notice

As per Executive Order No. 2020-04, the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library and the Bookmobile Outreach Services will be closed until further notice to protect the health and safety of our community and staff. All library materials due during our closure will be waived. All programs and events will be canceled/postponed until further notice. The library recommends that patrons who have overdue materials to hold onto such materials until such time as the closure is lifted. Thank you for your continued partnership, support, and understanding.
For the latest news and events, please visit the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library’s website at www.cnmilib.org and like and/or follow JKPL’s Facebook page @joetenkiyupubliclibrary and Instagram @joetenkiyupubliclibrary. Sign up today for our free e-newsletter by emailing cnmistatelibrary@gmail.com. (PR)

HSC-25 to conduct training in Radio Barrigada, open ocean

ASAN, Guam—Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 will conduct exercises in Radio Barrigada from 11:30am to 11:55pm on March 19.
Residents in surrounding areas should not be alarmed if they see or hear increased activity associated with this training.
HSC-25 will also hold open ocean training from 6:30am to 11:55pm on March 19. Marine vessels are advised to remain clear 3 nautical miles from the following coordinates: 13 ̊26’’N/145 ̊08’’E, 13 ̊42’’N/144 ̊36’’E.
Mariners are advised to monitor the U.S. Coast Guard broadcast Notice to Mariners for advisories.
These trainings support readiness and are critical to developing the skills needed to respond to operational missions throughout the region to ensure a stable, free, and open Indo-Pacific.
For more information, contact the Joint Region Marianas Public Affairs Office at CJRMPAO@fe.navy.mil. (PR)

PTAC cancels remaining workshops in March

The Guam Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) has cancelled our remaining workshops for March 2020 and Guam PTAC staff will be working remotely for the next 14 days.
If you need assistance with anything related to government contracting, please contact the Guam PTAC via phone or email.
Our contact information is listed on our website, www.guamptac.com. You can also reach us on Facebook, Linked-In, and Instagram. (PR)