COVID-19 pandemic in the Northern Mariana Islands | |
---|---|
Disease | COVID-19 |
Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
Location | Northern Mariana Islands |
Index case | Saipan |
Arrival date | March 28, 2020 (4 years, 8 months, 3 weeks and 5 days) |
Confirmed cases | 13,171 [1] |
Recovered | 13,155 |
Deaths | 40 |
Government website | |
CHCC |
The COVID-19 pandemic in the North Mariana Islands is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in March 2020.
On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan, Hubei, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019. [2] [3]
The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003, [4] [5] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll. [6] [4]
On 28 March, the islands confirmed their first two COVID-19 cases. [7]
The first death from coronavirus in the CNMI occurred on March 30 at Kanoa Resort. [8] A second death was reported on April 7 at the Commonwealth Health Care Corporation (CHCC). [9]
On 13 April, the CNMI received 20,000 test kits from South Korea; this shipment is expected to be the first of three, totaling 60,000, to arrive. [10]
Flights from China and Hong Kong were cancelled in early February, [11] leading to a drawdown in tourists to the island of Saipan and subsequently an economic crisis which triggered an austerity. [12] By March 12, a task force was in place to manage the austerity measures put into place. [13]
As a precautionary measure on March 17, Governor Torres shut schools and government offices. [14] The continuation of daily United Airlines' nonstop flights from Guam 120 miles away led to all arriving individuals suspected of coronavirus symptoms to be placed in quarantine at the Kanoa Resort. [15] Circa 16 March, governor Ralph Torres temporarily closed all schools and government offices. [14] A government task force has also been set up to monitor the situation. [13]
Island or division | Confirmed cases Per island |
---|---|
Saipan | 6,806 |
Tinian | 2,044 |
Rota | 1,893 |
Agrihan | 4 |
Pagan | 2 |
Alamagan | 1 |
Saipan is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Census Bureau, the population of Saipan was 43,385. Its people have been United States citizens since the 1980s. Saipan is one of the main homes of the Chamorro, the Indigenous people of the Mariana Islands.
The Democratic Party of the Northern Mariana Islands is a political party in the Northern Mariana Islands. It began as a purely local territorial party and is now officially affiliated with the United States' national Democratic Party.
The Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives is the lower house of the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature.
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan is a Northern Mariana Islander politician and former election commissioner. Elected in 2008, Sablan became the first delegate to the United States House of Representatives from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The Carolinian people are a Micronesian ethnic group who originated in Oceania, in the Caroline Islands, with a total population of over 8,500 people in the Northern Mariana Islands. They are also known as Remathau in the Yap's outer islands. Refaluwasch means "People of the Deep Sea." It is thought that their ancestors may have originally immigrated from Asia and Melanesia to Micronesia around 2,000 years ago. Their primary language is Carolinian, called Refaluwasch by native speakers, which has a total of about 5,700 speakers. The Refaluwasch have a matriarchal society in which respect is a very important factor in their daily lives, especially toward the matriarchs. Most Refaluwasch are of the Roman Catholic faith.
The 2014 Northern Mariana Islands general election were held on Tuesday, 4 November, 2014. The election coincided with the 2014 United States midterm elections. Voters in the Northern Mariana Islands voted for the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, the non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives, attorney general, 6 seats in the Northern Mariana Islands Senate, all twenty seats in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, 4 mayors, seats for the municipal council, and seats for the board of education. Additionally, a referendum involving changes to the constitution was held.
Ralph Deleon Guerrero Torres is a Northern Marianan politician, who served as the ninth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, from December 29, 2015, to January 9, 2023. He is a Republican from Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The third longest-serving governor in CNMI history, Torres took office upon the death of Governor Eloy Inos on December 29, 2015, before being reelected as governor in his own right in 2018. He previously served as the tenth lieutenant governor, having been elected to that post in 2014.
The 2018 Northern Mariana gubernatorial election took place on Tuesday, November 13, 2018, to elect the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands to a four-year term in office. Incumbent Republican governor Ralph Torres, who ascended to governorship in December 2015 following the death of Governor Eloy Inos, sought election to a full term.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives election in the Northern Mariana Islands was held on Tuesday, November 13, 2018, to elect the territory's Delegate to the United States House of Representatives in the 116th United States Congress. Delegate Gregorio Sablan was re-elected to his sixth term as Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Northern Mariana Islands' at-large district.
Star Marianas Air, Inc. is a U.S. commuter airline headquartered at Tinian International Airport in Tinian Municipality, Northern Mariana Islands. It operates scheduled and charter passenger service in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam, both U.S. territories in the Pacific Ocean.
Teresita Apatang Santos is a politician from the Northern Mariana Islands and current Secretary of the Department of Public Lands. She previously served as a member of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives and as a member of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate.
Guam, one of the external territories of the United States of America confirmed its first case of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 15, 2020, and the first death on March 22. The Government of Guam ordered the general lockdown of the island in mid-March. Governor Lou Leon Guerrero announced the implementation of a four-step "Pandemic Condition of Readiness" (PCOR) on April 30, 2020. Travelers to Guam from designated high-risk areas must provide a recent negative COVID-19 test or undergo mandatory quarantine in a government-approved facility. Guam moved from PCOR 1 to PCOR 2 on May 10, allowing some business activity with restrictions, and then to PCOR 3 on July 20. An outbreak in mid-August was not controlled for several months, resulting in the 7-day rolling test positivity rate to spike above 15% in early October 2020, as well as infections in both the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. Guam announced a return to the lockdown conditions of PCOR 1 on August 14 to control the outbreak, which was not loosened to PCOR 2 until January 15, 2021. It was further relaxed to PCOR 3 on February 21, 2021. From December 2020 to July 2021 cases stayed very low until a surge in August 2021 largely as a result of the delta variant. By October 2021, 90% of the population was vaccinated.
The 2022 Northern Mariana gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands and the lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands to a four-year term in office. Because no candidate received 50% of the vote in the general election, the two highest-placing candidates advanced to a runoff election on November 25, 2022.
Vinson Flores "Vinnie" Sablan is a Northern Marianan politician who served as a member of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate from the 3rd district.
Christina-Marie Elise Sablan, also known as Tina Sablan, is a Northern Marianan politician and former news anchor in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). A member of the Democratic Party, Sablan was a member of the Commonwealth House of Representatives, representing Precinct Two.
The 2024 United States House of Representatives election in the Northern Mariana Islands was held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, to elect the territory's delegate to the United States House of Representatives in the 119th United States Congress. The Delegate, who is elected to a two-year term, represents the Northern Mariana Islands' at-large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Edmund Joseph Sablan Villagomez is a politician from the Northern Mariana Islands who serves as the Speaker of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives. He has served in the Northern Marianas Islands House of Representatives since January 11, 2010.
The 2022 Northern Mariana Islands general election were held on Tuesday, 8 November 2022, corresponding with the 2022 United States general elections. Voters in the Northern Mariana Islands voted for the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, the non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives, attorney general, 6 seats in the Northern Mariana Islands Senate, all twenty seats in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, 4 mayors, seats for the municipal council, seats for the board of education, a justice, and 2 judges.
Markus Toves is a Northern Mariana Islands international footballer who currently plays Kanoa FC of the Marianas Soccer League 1 and the Northern Mariana Islands national team.
The 2024 Northern Mariana Islands general election was held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, corresponding with the 2024 United States general elections. Voters in the Northern Mariana Islands chose the non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives, 3 seats in the Northern Mariana Islands Senate, all twenty seats in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, seats for the municipal council, and seats for the board of education.