Saipan officials confirm one man dead of suspected COVID-19

Saipan officials confirmed Monday afternoon that a man died Monday and is suspected of having COVID-19.

Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. Chief Executive Officer Esther Muna said the man's family opted for comfort care instead of treatment care and he was given the care at Kanoa Resort which is the CNMI's quarantine site.

The man had no travel history, she said.

The 70-year-old man had contact with a confirmed case, Muna said.

The man had underlying medical conditions, she added.

As of Monday Saipan continued to have only two confirmed cases of COVID-19, Muna said.

The CNMI sent a specimen from the deceased man to Guam and has gotten an assurance that it will be a priority.

Muna said that so far, Saipan has sent 20 specimens to Guam, and 11 are still pending.

"They will make our testing a priority," she said.

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Gov. Ralph Torres said he sends his condolences to the man's family.

He said starting Monday, curfew will be in effect for all people in the CNMI, not just for minors.

The curfew will be from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. and anyone found breaking the curfew will be fined, he said.

Torres said in CHamoru that everyone should stay home, and if everyone stays home the CNMI will have a better chance against COVID-19.

He said he speaks with Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero daily, and she has assured him that Guam will work with the CNMI to assist them with testing.

Over the weekend, the Northern Marianas learned two people had COVID-19. One was a 42-year-old man, and the other a 49-year-old woman. They both presented symptoms at Commonwealth Health Center March 26, and the government began contact tracing.

One of the two had traveled from Guam on March 12, and another was on Tinian March 13 and 14. Both began having symptoms around March 17, according to a news release from the Northern Marianas government.

The CNMI now requires 14 days of quarantine in a facility for all returning travelers coming from areas with known cases of COVID-19.

Editor's note: A previous version of the story stated the man was confirmed to have COVID-19. The man is suspected to have COVID-19.