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Apatang may scale down LibDay fete
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Posted on Mar 30 2021
Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang, who was earlier gung ho about having a full-blown but controlled Liberation Day celebration this year, may have had a change of heart since the recent flare-up of community cases of COVID-19.
The original idea was to have five consecutive evenings of activities at the Garapan Fishing Base this July and a full-day celebration on July 4 itself, or Liberation Day, but in a follow-up yesterday at Apatang’s office, it was learned that his office is now unsure about carrying on with the full-blown event due to the recent cluster of positive cases in the community.
According to Apatang’s office secretary, Youki C. Kishimoto, Apatang is currently awaiting a response from the COVID-19 Task Force, and will provide and update everyone once they have discussed any further plans going forward.
The Liberation Day festivity is traditionally a nine-day affair but last year’s event became a one-day very limited on-the-ground celebration due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier, in a letter to COVID-19 Task Force chair Warren F. Villagomez and Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. chief executive officer Esther L. Muña, Apatang pushed for five evenings of activities at the Garapan Fishing Base and a full-day celebration on July 4 itself.
However, due to the recent community cases that were identified in the following days after he issued his request, Apatang is now weighing whether the event should go on at all.
The CNMI saw its first local transmission of COVID-19 in 204 days last March 12 when a front-liner at the Kanoa Resort Alternate Care Center tested positive for the coronavirus. Contract tracing yielded 10 more positive cases after 99 close contacts emanating from case No. 147 were quarantined.
