‘Health clearance form not required for interisland travel’

Both the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. and the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force have clarified that a health clearance form is only required of interisland travelers when they arrive from off-island, are quarantined first on Saipan, and are then released so they could proceed with their travel to Rota or Tinian.

In a statement Wednesday, both gave the clarification after receiving several reports over the last several weeks from interisland travelers that Star Marianas Air is requiring their passengers to present a health clearance form before boarding their planes.

In a separate post on its Facebook page, Star Marianas Air said it is not requiring its passengers to present such a form for interisland travel.

There was no immediate clarification on the source of the contradicting reports but the Torres administration insisted Thursday that it is not requiring the health clearance form for interisland travel. The Office of the Governor statement said that the only directive regarding a health clearance form is specifically for quarantined travelers entering the CNMI and whose ultimate destination is Tinian or Rota.

“Upon completion of their quarantine, they will receive a health clearance form before departing for their home islands of Tinian or Rota,” the statement added.

There has been no public directive that requires travelers that are already within the CNMI to present a health clearance form prior to interisland travel, it added.

The statement said that CHCC has seen and received questions from many residents who specifically ask for a health clearance form, as instructed by Star Marianas Air, in order to fly to Tinian or Rota from Saipan.

“Furthermore, there has been no agreement, as of today, by CHCC or the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force to conduct health screening at the airports on Saipan, Tinian, or Rota for passengers. This would require additional CHCC and Task Force staff to the airports. This takes away from the overall effort of providing real patient care for COVID-19 at our hospital, health centers, medical care sites, and alternate care sites,” the statement added.

In order to prevent this from happening and to properly address Star Marianas Air’s concerns, the task force and CHCC announced that interisland travelers can get a health evaluation at the Medical Care and Treatment Site tent on the upper parking lot level of CHCC in order to board a Star Marianas Air flight. This can be accommodated while flights are limited; however, CHCC will have to re-evaluate if this can continue with increases in flights and without transferring the cost to the passengers.

“The Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force and CHCC believe in community partnership to keep the CNMI’s curve flat, and this includes working with private sector partners in order to address any concerns. We value Star Marianas Air’s partnership, and we look forward to continuing working with them,” the statement said. (PR)