With 200 days of zero community transmission, just 145 positive cases since then, and more than 20% of the adult population already vaccinated, the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. is looking into changing its quarantine protocols, as per the criteria provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n
According to the CHCC chief executive officer, Esther Mu\u00f1a, CHCC and the Governor\u2019s COVID-19 Task Force are making what she describes as a \u201cdimmer dial\u201d change to the current protocol, this time allowing self-quarantine for a total of five days. That option will be available to those who are fully vaccinated and who don\u2019t live in a crowded household.<\/p>\n
Mu\u00f1a emphasized that this option is not automatic and the incoming traveler must go through a process of review before actually being approved for self-quarantine protocol. <\/p>\n
The individual will have to complete the mandatory declaration form if the CNMI resident has completed the vaccination series in the CNMI in the last three months and had recently traveled and is traveling back on island from another jurisdiction. For individuals who meet this criteria, self-quarantine could be an option, if approved.<\/p>\n
Mu\u00f1a said that CHCC will be working with the Governor\u2019s COVID-19 Task Force to finalize the procedures, which include ensuring that there will be a surveillance process so inbound travelers will be able to do self-quarantine. However, the same rules for testing\u2014once on arrival and another after five days\u2014will still apply for those on self-quarantine.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still finalizing the details, but this process is only giving the individual the option to sleep in their own bed and that\u2019s all. Upon arrival, we\u2019re looking at having separate transportation for those who [opted] to self-quarantine where they wait at a holding area to be tested and to have an assessment of their quarantine location. This process must be done before a decision on whether an individual will be able to do self-quarantine is given,\u201d Mu\u00f1a said.<\/p>\n
She said this change is a \u201cdimmer dial\u201d versus a \u201clight switch\u201d change to the current protocols and is expected to go into effect within the next week or two. <\/p>\n
Additionally, CHCC will be making sure those changes go into the health declaration forms. \u201cEverything needs to be in place first, such as updating the declaration forms and testing them and [orienting] all the agencies that will be involved,\u201d said Mu\u00f1a.<\/p>\n
In related news, CHCC announced that one more individual has been confirmed positive for COVID-19 last March 7, bringing the CNM\u2019s total to 145. The individual was identified by travel screening and confirmed positive through testing upon arrival. <\/p>\n
CHCC says the individual has been safely in quarantine and was moved to the designated isolation area for close monitoring. CHCC has already initiated contact tracing for the most immediate contacts, including passengers on the same flight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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