Torres renews two executive orders 

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres has renewed for 30 days his two executive orders that he first issued in 2020 due to the imminent threat posed by COVID-19. 

Torres renewed last week Executive Order 2020-04 declaring a State of Public Health Emergency and State of Significant Emergency to establish response, quarantine, and preventive containment measures concerning COVID-19.

He also renewed Executive Order 2020-07, which ordered the CNMI Homeland Security & Emergency Management Office, through the CNMI COVID-19 Task Force in partnership with the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp., to undertake necessary COVID-19 containment measures by means of the development of emergency directives to protect the health and safety of the public.

Torres stated that COVID-19, through its variants, continues to pose a significant and imminent threat of harm to the community, environment, and people of the CNMI.

The governor cited that as recently as June-July of this year, a wave of COVID-19 infections spread throughout the community.

He said an emergency declaration is still needed to ensure the containment of COVID-19 in the CNMI.

Torres said as the CNMI continues to open up its economy to tourism from Asia markets, the chance of COVID-19 once  again spreading in the community is heightened. 

The governor noted that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services renewed its public health emergency last July 15 for a 90-day period indicating that federal public health officials still see COVID-19 as a threat to public health.

Torres has consulted with the CNMI Homeland Security  and  Emergency Management Office and the COVID-19 Task  Force, and believes renewals of the two executive orders are warranted. 

Some Democrat lawmakers have been questioning the governor’s continued renewals of the executive orders.