Target: 70% by end of July

COVID-19 Task Force chair Warren Villagomez speaks at the Saipan Chamber of Commerce’s general membership meeting yesterday at the Hyatt Regency Saipan Ballroom. (BEA CABRERA)

The aim is to have at least 70% of the CNMI’s eligible population vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of July, according to COVID-19 Task Force chair Warren Villagomez yesterday.

Right now, 66.4% of all who are 12 years old and older have already received their first dose of the vaccine, Villagomez said. This means that, together with the CNMI’s COVID-19 prevention and mitigation practices that are in place, domestic normalcy is not impossible to achieve, he added.

“We are looking at 70% of the population to be vaccinated by the end of the month as we continue to do everything that is in place. …Our goal is to reach herd immunity at 80% by September, so individuals should remain cautious and have the option to continue wearing face masks, practice social distancing so we can go back to pre-pandemic times throughout the Commonwealth,” Villagomez said as guest speaker of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce’s membership meeting at the Hyatt Regency Saipan Ballroom in Garapan.

“We hope to push 80% quicker with all the efforts and incentive programs that we’re working on together with the administration, Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. and COVID-19 Task Force. …We are continuously looking closely at border protection because that is our safety net at all levels,” he added.

Villagomez said that he, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, and CHCC CEO Esther Muna have been talking about changes to the border protection measures when the CNMI reaches 70% vaccination rate. For returning vaccinated residents, that could mean no swabbing at the airport. They can be released but they are required to still undergo the fifth day testing, he said.

“…As we all know, there is still a variety of risks and variants out there that are still mutating and we want to make sure we do not let our guards down. The whole-government approach is that protection on our borders will be enhanced and protected so more people can continue activities like gathering in meetings like how we are today,” he said.

“These vaccinated people coming in will definitely be verified and, therefore, we are not taking out all the verification tools. …The declaration form is our tool to be able to do contact tracing and get other information that we need to assist us and our staff for any possible COVD-19 infection. …That is why they need to come back. …They will be notified where to go on the fifth day , whether it is in Kanoa Resort or Mariana [Resort],” he added.

Last month, CHCC and the COVID-19 Task Force placed the CNMI under Level Green, which means that community vulnerability is at its lowest risk for COVID-19.

According to Villagomez, the CNMI reached Level Green by working together. “There was a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Federal Emergency Management Agency projection that the CNMI will head up to 8,000 COVID-19 infections by April 2020. We were able to…flatten that projection. …The priority was to protect the health and safety of CNMI residents and prevent an outbreak…so there was an increase in health screening as well as community based testing throughout Saipan, Tinian and Rota, establishing protocols and, of course, cost containment measures to stabilize government services,” he said.

“Level Green means that we have reached 60% or more in vaccination rate. If you’re fully vaccinated, you are able to participate in outdoor and indoor activities in accordance with CDC guidelines. Unvaccinated individuals should remain cautious and continue to wear face masks and practice social distancing at all times, especially in the company of others who are not vaccinated and those whose vaccines cannot be verified,” he added.

As for Level Green protocols for businesses, Villagomez said that compliance monitoring and enforcement should be continuous. “To ensure customers and staff are protected, CNMI businesses are urged to confirm the vaccination status as ‘fully vaccinated’ before letting them take off masks …‘Fully vaccinated’ means that the entity has documentation showing that the person received at least 14 days prior either the second dose in a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine series or a single dose COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccines must be Food and Drug Administration approved or have an emergency use authorization from the FDA,” he said.

“Customers and staff are not required to disclose their vaccine status but businesses and other entities have the option to enforce it. If businesses choose not to enforce or simply cannot verify the vaccination status, entities should follow guideline that limit occupancy and enforce mask wearing,” he added.