SAIPAN, 06 JULY 2020 (MARIANAS VARIETY) —Passengers arriving on Saipan will get tested twice for Covid-19, Commonwealth Healthcare Corp (CHCC)Chief Executive Officer Esther Muna said.
CHCC and the Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force started implementing the new testing protocol on Saturday as 24 people arrived on island.
CHCC said on Friday a resident, who arrived from the mainland U.S., tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the CNMI total cumulative cases to 31.
Muna said the individual was tested positive five days after he arrived on island, but the individual was asymptomatic and was registered with the CHCC Sara Alert Symptom Monitoring System, she added.
The person’s family members were also brought to a clinic for assessment, Muna said.
Under the new testing procedure, passengers will be tested for Covid-19 as soon as they arrive at the Saipan airport, she said.
“That will give us a timeline of exposure if we detect it,” Muna said.
The virus, however, “may not show especially when a traveler has just been exposed to it, so after five days of self-quarantine at home, the passenger will be required to get tested again.”
On Saturday, a CHCC team and the task force conducted tests on arriving passengers at the Saipan airport before allowing them to go home for self-quarantine.
Muna said the second test will be conducted at Kanoa Resort after five days or on 09 July.
Before flying to the CNMI, returning residents must fill out a CNMI Mandatory Declaration Form. They are also required to register with and respond daily to the Sara Alert Symptom Monitoring System; exercise self-quarantine for 14 days; and give consent to specimen collection for Covid-19 testing…. PACNEWS