Community Briefs – March 24, 2020

Karidat: Hold off on donations for now

Karidat Social Services is asking the community to “hold off” on making clothing and canned food donations at this time. Please no donations at this time, we thank you for your patience. We all must do our part to stay home and stay safe. (PR)

5.4-magnitude quake in NI

A report of a 5.4-magnitude earthquake occurred 150 kilometers west of Farallon de Pajaros in the Northern Mariana Islands at 11:52pm on March 19, 2020, There are no tsunami warnings or advisories issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. (PR)

OVR closed for two weeks

The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation will be closed for two weeks. All appointments and schedules of meetings and trainings with OVR counselors or staff will be cancelled and rescheduled. Your counselor or caseworker will be contacting you as soon as information regarding the reopening of the OVR office is received. (PR)

Amended hours at landfill, transfer station

The Solid Waste Management Division is amending the hours of operation of the Marpi landfill & Lower Base transfer station, effective March 23, 2020, until further notice. Both sites will be open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, from 7:30am to 11am only. Closed on Wednesday. (PR)

USCIS closing offices to the public March 18-April 1

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is suspending in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices and Application Support Centers. This suspension of services will be effective until at least April 1. In the meantime, USCIS will provide limited emergency services. Call the Contact Center for assistance with emergency services.
USCIS field offices will send notices to applicants and petitioners with scheduled appointments and naturalization ceremonies impacted by this closure. USCIS asylum offices will send interview cancellation notices and automatically reschedule asylum interviews. When the interview is rescheduled, asylum applicants will receive a new interview notice with the new time, date and location of the interview. When USCIS again resumes normal operations, USCIS will automatically reschedule ASC appointments due to the office closure. You will receive a new appointment letter in the mail. Individuals who had InfoPass or other appointments must reschedule through the USCIS Contact Center once field offices are open to the public again. Check to see if your field office has been reopened before reaching out to the USCIS Contact Center. (PR)   

AMP amends operations; closes visitor center

The American Memorial Park visitor center is closed until further notice. All educational programs and special events are postponed until further notice. Permits for large gatherings will also not be issued. Visitors may continue to enjoy Micro Beach, the memorials, walking paths, tennis courts and open spaces in the park. 
The National Park Service, which runs the park, will notify the public when it resumes full operations and provide updates on its website and social media channels. (PR)

US District Court entry protocols

-If you have traveled outside the CNMI within the last 14 days;
Or if you have had close contact with someone who has traveled outside the CNMI within the last 14 days;
-Or if you’ve been asked to self-quarantine by any doctor, hospital or health agency;
-Or if you’ve been diagnosed with, or have had contact with, anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19;
-Or if you have a fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, or flu symptoms, within the last 72 hours;
Advise the court security officer prior to entering the screening area. You will be denied entry and provided written instructions on what to do next. (PR)

Settlement Fund to close March 18-20

The Settlement Fund office will be closed until 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 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 until March 31. While some staff may come in to the office during that time, we will not be open to the public. (PR)

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

The Annual Women’s Mini Expo and the CNMI Women’s Summit, scheduled for March 24 and 27, respectively, has been postponed until further notice. For questions or concerns you may have, contact the CNMI Women’s Association and the Women’s Affairs Office at 233-8978/9411 or cwa.fogumoro@gmail.com. (PR)

JKPL and Bookmobile Outreach Services closed until further notice

The Joeten-Kiyu Public Library and the Bookmobile Outreach Services will be closed until further notice. 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. (PR)