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‘Rota awfully quiet most of the day’
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Posted on Apr 16 2020
With a population of less than 3,000, Rota has always been a quiet place but, for those wondering how much more silent it can get during the COVID-19 pandemic, Barrie C. Toves, a resident of Sinapalo II Village, described the situation in his neighborhood as “awfully quiet most of the day.”
Toves finds it hard to say what people do to keep busy at home because he observes social distancing religiously. “I leave the house only if it is absolutely necessary to replenish supplies etc.,” Toves told Saipan Tribune yesterday.
So far, he is not aware of any positive COVID-19 case on the island. He said they rely on public notices from the Commonwealth Health Care Corp. and the COVID-19 Task Force for updates on the number of cases.
With the curfew set between 7pm and 6am, Toves said there are some people moving around between 6am to 7pm.
He said prices of commodities seem stable and have not increased.
To keep busy, Toves does house chores daily and catches up with his hobbies, which is sand painting as well as writing songs for future recording projects.
Toves went back to Rota from Saipan before Gov. Ralph DLG Torres issued the executive order for non-essential government offices shutdown.
“I never left Rota prior to flight cancellations,” said Toves, who chairs the Commonwealth Ports Authority’s Airport Facilities Committee.
Last March 16, following Guam’s confirmation of three coronavirus cases, Torres declared a State of Significant Emergency and a State of Public Health Emergency in the CNMI.
Toves said although passenger flights are temporarily cancelled, Rota still receives cargo flights through the Benjamin T. Manglona International Airport.
The 2010 Census said that Rota has a population of 2,527 but Toves said the number might be lower now.
