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2 new PCR test machines seen to boost expansion of Travel Bubble
The acquisition of two new machines needed in order to test for the COVID-19 virus is expected to boost the Marianas Visitors Authority’s ability to expand the Tourism Resumption Investment Plan, or TRIP program, with South Korea.
According to Ivan Quichocho, MVA board member and TRIP South Korea chairman, the CNMI’s ability to process polymerase chain reaction, PCR, tests to detect COVID-19 is currently one of the factors that is slowing down the expansion of the TRIP program. He said the CNMI can only process so many PCR tests right now and, with the PCR test being one of the TRIP program’s requirement of testing upon arrival, the CNMI would struggle to accommodate the wave of tourists that are expected to arrive through the program.
Fortunately, as of last week, Quichocho said the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. and the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force have informed MVA that they have already acquired two new amplifiers—machines needed in order test for the COVID-19 virus. The addition of these two amplifiers could pick up the CNMI’s current capacity by 97 tests, Quichocho added.
“We’ve had a meeting with [the] task force and CHCC. They have purchased two new amplifiers that are on island and going through commissioning. Basically, they just need to be installed. This should pick up our capacity another 97 tests that we could run within a four-hour period. So that improves our capacity to be able to handle more arrivals. If we continue this current program of PCR testing well in through 2022, we’ll have quicker results [and] quicker turnaround,” he said.
Quichocho said MVA expects to get updates from CHCC and the task force sometime this week on the installation of these amplifiers. With the installation, said Quichocho, MVA could look into possibly allowing additional TRIP bookings and for additional flights to the CNMI.
“Hopefully CHCC can give us an update on the installation and the commissioning of those units. So that was one of the main issues that was kind of holding us back in terms of expanding the market and allowing market forces to take over,” he said.
Currently, the CNMI expects to serve a total of 7,794 TRIP participants through the end of the year.
