‘Noncompliant essential worker eyed as culprit’

The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. has information that links the recent influx in community cases of COVID-19 to a non-compliant essential worker.

That person is, however, no longer in the CNMI, according to CHCC chief executive officer Esther L. Muña.

Speaking during Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’ weekly radio news briefing last Friday, Muña said that, after contact tracing that led to that non-compliant essential worker, he/she was brought back to a quarantine site and that the essential worker then decided to leave the CNMI after not being allowed to exit quarantine. Muña did not identify the affected essential worker.

She defined an essential worker as someone whose work involves life, safety, and health. “It is practically anyone that that is classified as [an] essential worker by the federal government. And that is federal information that is basically shared to everyone,” said Muna on the radio.

An essential worker is one listed in the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers Advisory List from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity, and Infrastructure Security Agency: http://www.cisa.gov/critical-infrastructure-sectors. But being on this list doesn’t mean travelers applying for this release will be considered essential—the work has to be essential for the residents and infrastructure of the CNMI.

For travelers to apply for this release, they’ll need to submit a negative PCR test dated no earlier than 72 hours prior to arrival; copy of departure ticket and passport; work schedule, which must include start and ending hours, and location; and lodging and contact information.

When asked if there will be changes to protocols for essential workers, Muña said that changes are being discussed, but these changes are not intended to stop essential workers from doing their work.

“We are looking to make changes for the protocols, but it is not to stop essential workers. Essential workers still need to do their essential work, and that’s why we’re asking everyone that are granted this privilege, or you can call it authority, to remind themselves that they have to protect the community as well,” said Muña.

As of last Friday, Muña said that there are 23 individuals aged 18 and younger who are active COVID-19 cases in the CNMI, with the youngest of this age group being around 4 months old.

Of the 48 active cases at the time of Friday morning, Muña said that 27 showed symptoms: most with mild symptoms, two showed moderate symptoms, and four as of last Friday were receiving REGEN-COV infusions. Muña also said that there are no active hospitalizations due to COVID-19.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s website, REGEN-COV is monoclonal antibody therapy used for the prevention of COVID-19. REGEN-COV is authorized for use for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 symptoms in adults and patients 12 years and older weighing at least 40 kilograms with positive COVID-19 test results who are at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19.