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2 COVID-related EOs are renewed
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Posted on Feb 14 2023
Two executive orders that had been in place since 2020 that declares a State of Public Health Emergency for the entire CNMI due to the threat posed by COVID-19 have been renewed.
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios said his office has consulted with the CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management Office, the COVID-19 Task Force, and other agencies, and believes renewal of Executive Orders 2020-04, as amended, and EO 2020-07, are warranted. Both executive orders were issued by then-governor Ralph DLG Torres.
Palacios issued the renewals last Feb. 2. The renewals shall remain in effect for 30 days from issuance. The Legislature received a copy of the renewals last Thursday.
E.O. 2020-04 declares a State of Public Health Emergency and State of Significant Emergency establishing response, quarantine, and preventive containment measures containing COVID-19.
E.O. 2020-07 orders the CNMI Homeland Security & Emergency Management Office, through the COVID-19 Task Force, in partnership with the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp., to undertake necessary containment measures by means of the development of emergency directives to protect the health and safety of the public.
The governor noted in the Executive Order 2023-02 for renewal that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services renewed its COVID-19 public health emergency on Jan. 11, 2023, indicating that federal public health officials still see the pandemic as a threat to the public health.
He said COVID-19, through its variants, continues to pose a significant and imminent threat of harm to the people of the Commonwealth.
Palacios said an emergency declaration is still needed to ensure the containment of COVID-19 in the CNMI.
As the CNMI continues to open up itself to tourism from Asia markets, Palacios said the chance of COVID-19 once again spreading in the community is heightened.
The governor said that China is currently experiencing a surge of COVID-19 infections, with hundreds of millions of new infections.
China is a source of many tourists in the CNMI. (Ferdie de la Torre)
