Governor Ralph DLG. Torres announced today that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will remove the CNMI from its COVID-19 Travel Recommendations by Destination on December 6, 2021.
For most of the pandemic, the CNMI was classified by the CDC as “Level 1: COVID-19 Low,” meaning that it is listed as a safe destination with low community transmission. This policy change will formally list the CNMI as a domestic destination for the United States.
“The White House informed me earlier today that the CNMI will be removed from CDC’s COVID-19 Travel Recommendations by Destination, paving the way for the safe return to normal tourism for our islands. The Marianas is open for business as a tourism destination, and we have a proven track record during this entire COVID-19 response through our travel quarantine protocols, testing requirements, and successful vaccination efforts of our people. This policy change by the CDC speaks to the strong measures we have in place. CNMI has been a model for the Pacific and the nation in mitigating against COVID-19, and we will continue to keep our hospitalization rate low and safeguard our man’amko, our chronically ill, and our loved ones through strong protective measures and by practicing the 3Ws,” said Governor Torres.
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