The quest to reopen the CNMI

With just five active COVID-19 cases in the Commonwealth at the moment, talks about lifting some of the emergency directives that the CNMI government is implementing, along with the reopening of businesses, are getting some traction.

Torres

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres disclosed in an interview that the government is currently in discussions with the private sector on measures that need to be in place to safely reopen businesses on the islands.

“We want to slowly bring back our economy and slowly open up our businesses but, at the same time, continue the social distancing, continue proper hygiene. It has been a couple of months now or so, but we still need to continue this effort,” he said.

With the community strictly following the directives on social distancing and proper hygiene, the CNMI has managed to keep its COVID-19 cases to a low 19, with 12 recoveries, in relation to the islands’ over 50,000 residents.

The governor said that they are working with the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands, as well as the members of his Cabinet, on how to bring back and start opening up not just the private sector but also the government.

Earlier, Torres stated that he is encouraging government employees, especially those who work in direct contact with the public, to be tested for COVID-19, for the safety of the community. Majority of his Cabinet members already got tested last week, with a few waiting to get tested within the week.

Reopening for tourists?
While United Airline flights have resumed, bringing residents back to the CNMI, Torres said that they are working with the Marianas Visitors Authority since more issues still need to be addressed as far as bringing in tourists from other countries go.

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a barrage of concerns connected to traveling, not just health but also safety and sanitation.

“This is a whole new way of traveling, and this is a whole new world of how to…enjoy a tourist destination like Saipan. …It’s not going to be the normal opening up the [hotels] because there’s a lot of health issues that have to be addressed, so we’re working on that,” he added.

The governor also mentioned regulations for those wanting to visit the CNMI. “[For] our tourists, are there additional regulations that need to be in place for them? Is their health declaration all that we need for them to be received here, or do we need to do additional testing while they’re here? These are a reality on what we have to implement here on our islands,” Torres said.

The governor said that these are issues that need to be addressed before reopening the CNMI to tourists, stressing that since tourists deal with the community, whether at the hotel, through tour agents, or in businesses, such a decision involves the community.

“Opening up our government, opening up our private sector is one thing, [but] when we start opening up our tourist destination, that’s another issue that we all as a community need to embrace,” he said.