Three weekend arrivals to the Northern Marianas have tested positive for Covid-19, taking the commonwealth's coronavirus tally to 109.
A quarantine transit vehicle Photo: CNMI govt
Health authorities said the passengers were identified via travel screening and confirmed diagnosis through testing upon arrival.
As per protocol, they had been safely in quarantine and were moved to the designated isolation area at the Kanoa Resort Alternative Care Site for monitoring.
Contact tracing had begun.
Out of the 109 confirmed cases in the CNMI, 83 were from incoming passengers.
Out of these; 34 were from the US mainland, 30 from Guam and 11 from foreign countries.
Twenty-six cases were from community transmission, including two deaths.
The last community case was in early August.
Meanwhile the Governor's Covid-19 Taskforce is looking to vaccinate 400-500 people a day, once a Covid vaccine becomes available.
Like coronavirus testing, the CNMI is planning to conduct mass vaccinations at the Saipan International Airport.
The probable vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca) comes in two shots: some 28 days apart and others 21 days apart.
The CNMI is looking to inoculate more than 70 percent of the local population that the federal government is hoping to attain in order to establish "herd immunity."
Photo: AFP