CNMI Covid-19 Task Force chairman Warren Villagomez said Sunday that three hotels are being temporarily used to quarantine “overflowing” travelers. These are the Century Hotel and Capital Hotel, both located in Garapan, and the Pacific Islands Club in San Antonio.

Villagomez noted that Shirley’s Cafe in the Century Hotel is still open to the public.

“Century Hotel is an isolation area, so there is [neither] Commitment still moving from the people who are being quarantined … we have task force people in attendance, as well as law enforcement, so [there is] very minimal movement and basically everything is controlled and kept sterile, ”he said.

Villagomez said there was a need to designate temporary facilities due to the increase in the number of people or PUIs being examined and to ensure that contact tracing needs are met at the Kanoa Resort and the former Mariana Resort, which are the main quarantine facilities.

He said it was also necessary to prepare for the potential impact of the Biden government’s recent decision to relax travel restrictions on vaccinated travelers, Villagomez added.

“So we’re only proactive, but this one [additional facilities] are not permanent. These are for temporary use. We should go back to normal numbers [soon],” he said.

Regarding the incoming flights of the South Korea-CNMI travel bubble, the chair of the task force said there was a team through the World Travel and Tourism Council. The council coordinates all security aspects to ensure that every hotel that has reopened or has already reopened meets the standards.

“We’re seeing more hotels and more rooms. With president [Joseph] Biden’s policy gives the industry more confidence when it reopens, ”he added.