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‘No TF staff downsizing at NMI quarantine sites’
There will be no downsizing of staff at government-run quarantine sites.
Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force chair Warren F. Villagomez said this Tuesday during a guest appearance on Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’ radio news briefing.
While recent changes to travel protocols effective Dec. 20 allows fully vaccinated travelers to quarantine at their home or lodging while waiting for their COVID-19 arrival testing results, the protocols still require unvaccinated travelers to quarantine at a designated government site for seven days and to be tested after the seven-day quarantine. Any traveler who tests positive will be required to quarantine at a site for 10 days.
Currently, there are three active government-run sites: the former Marianas Resort, Pacific Islands Club Saipan, and Kanoa Resort Saipan. Villagomez said the former Mariana Resort is for incoming travelers that do not meet certain travel protocol requirements, and the PIC and Kanoa sites are full-on isolation and quarantine sites for COVID-19 positives.
Staff numbers at these sites will remain the same to ensure that the task force is available to respond when needed. Villagomez assured that the task force is mindful in its spending and scheduling to ensure that safety of all at these sites is maintained.
“There’s no downsizing of staff…and of course, we can’t predict what’s going to happen in the next hour [or] days. We run on shifts, and we are mindful of our spending and scheduling to make sure that we also provide rest to [task force personnel] because at the end day, it equates to safety,” said Villagomez.
