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Emergency enters 7th month
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Posted on Jul 17 2020
The CNMI entered its seventh month under a State of Public Health Emergency and continued state of significant emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic, following Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’ issuance of Executive Order 2020-15 last Wednesday.
This renewal is in effect for 30 days, or until Aug. 15, 2020.
“COVID-19 continues to pose a significant and imminent threat of harm to the community, environment and people of the CNMI and thus emergency declarations are necessary to respond, quarantine and ensure the prevention of or containment of COVID-19 in the CNMI,” states the governor’s executive order.
Torres first declared the Commonwealth under the state of significant emergency on Jan. 29, two days before the national declaration of a public health emergency, as a means to facilitate and implement quarantine and preventive containment measures on the islands.
The extension comes with the renewal of Torres’ executive orders 2020-04, as amended, and 2020-07, directing the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp., the CNMI Homeland Security & Emergency Management Office, and all necessary agencies, to undertake COVID-19 containment measures through emergency directives to protect and safeguard the community.
The impact of COVID-19, being a highly contagious disease with no confirmed treatment yet, cannot be understated, and action is necessary to protect the health and safety of the children, senior citizens, businesses, and all other CNMI residents and visitors, according to the governor.
Under the new extended emergency declaration, all memoranda, directives, waivers of regulations, and other measures taken in accordance with the executive orders 2020-04 and 2020-07 remain in place. This includes directives on social distancing and curfew that government offices, businesses, public and private organizations, and the community in general must comply with.
To date, the CNMI has had a total of 36 COVID-19 cases, with two deaths, and six currently active.
