Retail, personal care, outdoor dining allowed under relaxed PCOR1

Retail sales, personal services, outdoor dining and individual sports will be able to resume today under relaxed Pandemic Condition of Readiness 1 measures announced by Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero Thursday.

The governor also announced a change in the island's quarantine policy beginning Saturday.

PCOR 1 will not be a permanent state for Guam, she said, but in order for Guam to move to PCOR 2, people must also do their part. 

"I certainly recognize the plight of the small businesses. I certainly recognize that our economic health is also being affected significantly," she said. "And we also recognize that this virus has killed 38 of our people."

"I'm very sensitive to the health of our economy and to the health of our people, and the balance that has to come forward to protect both," she said. "I think what we have done so far has been the right decision and the right action at that time."

While the island remains in PCOR1, effective noon today:

• Retail stores and personal services like hair care, nails, tattoo shops and pet grooming will be allowed to operate at 25% capacity;
• All common areas of malls remain closed, and people will not be allowed to congregate;
• Outdoor dining will be allowed, with groups limited to six people who are immediate family members;
• No indoor dining will be allowed;
• Solitary and non-contact sports such as golf, tennis, scuba and other watersports will be allowed; 
• No organized sporting events are allowed;
• Services for funeral homes will be limited to no more than 10;

General office work may continue, the governor said, with face-to-face work limited to appointment only, and she highly encouraged those who can telework to continue to do so.

Effective noon Saturday, all incoming travelers will be quarantined at a government of Guam facility, the governor said. 

Then on the sixth day of quarantine, they will get a test for COVID-19. If the test is negative, they will be allowed to finish quarantine at home.

Leon Guerrero said that the spread of COVID-19 is in decline, after cases spiked in August. The community spread has gone from triple digits to mid-double digits, she said, but the death rate is at about one per day. 

Guam is in a much better position to deal with the virus than it was in April, she said. The contact tracing team has increased from about a dozen tracers to more than 60 people, plus more on standby if they are needed. 

She noted that 94 people have been trained to help with the island’s contact tracing efforts following the completion of a four-day training with the chief medical officer for the University of California San Francisco. 

The Guam Memorial Hospital now focuses on COVID-19 cases. A partnership with Guam Regional Medical City sends the private hospital non-COVID cases, as well as staff members from GMH to support those patients.

It allows GMH to increase its capabilities and floor space to treat patients in intensive care.

Guam has 79 ventilators on stand by, and hospital employees are being supplemented by medical teams from the military and Federal Emergency Management Agency through the end of the month, the governor said.

Frontline nurses are getting fatigued, she said, so 33 new nurses were hired two days ago. She's also developed a relationship with a health professional recruiting service that can send 50 nurses to Guam in three days.

Leon Guerrero also announced a timeline indicating a proposed back-to-business schedule would be released soon, with the appropriate occupancy restrictions and Public Health-approved guidelines.

More: 76-year-old woman is 38th COVID-19 fatality

More: Forty-five people test positive for COVID-19, Guam cases now at 2,235

"We must manage this virus as best we can," she said, "not letting the virus manage us."

The governor's announcement came hours after the 38th person on Guam died from COVID-19. A 76-year-old woman died at 6:55 a.m. at Guam Memorial Hospital. She had been admitted Sept. 18, after testing positive for the virus at Guam Regional Medical City.

This article originally appeared on Pacific Daily News: Retail, personal care, outdoor dining allowed under relaxed PCOR1