The sooner we do our part, the sooner we can get through COVID-19
Carl TC Gutierrez
Håfa Adai! Right in line with Gov.Leon Guerrero’s health safety imperatives, reducing the novel coronavirus infection rate on island is Guam Visitors Bureau’s number one priority. This must be our focus until the virus decreases throughout our region.
The sustained spike happening on our island is a stark reminder that this pandemic is everyone’s problem. Those that are asymptomatic especially need to be part of the solution because they don’t know they are infecting others.
We must have a concerted effort. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can get through it. It’s more than just economics. It’s more than just reopening the tourism industry. It’s about taking care of our people.
Our community has been polarized. On one hand we have people who want a complete lockdown of our island. On the other, we have people who want to reopen our businesses and economy. I believe we can find our middle ground, but we must all come together to understand our differences and move forward to defeat this pandemic.
We all want to enjoy our island again. We all miss the things we could do before this pandemic began. But with high positivity rates and COVID-related deaths, we are not ready. The only way we can get there is to stop fighting and move in the same direction as one. Na’påra i tinatme (Stop this infection).
Efforts to move forward
At Gov. Leon Guerrero’s request in March, President Trump declared Guam a major disaster area due to the negative impacts of COVID-19.
Today, the Leon Guerrero administration is coordinating with the Federal Emergency Management Agency the arrival of scores of medical professionals to help treat coronavirus patients following a flare-up in positive cases.
The governor’s office is also communicating with FEMA to qualify Guam for “economic disaster” status, which will help our island qualify for more funding.
On GVB’s end, we continue to partner with experts and stakeholders to bring solutions to our new-normal conditions. Our latest Travel Talks Webinar series had Gov. Leon Guerrero, Dr. Janna Manglona, Tes Reyes-Burrier and Chris Rhodes give advice, share best practices, and speak to the different ways of making health safety protocols part of the new normal.
There are even more plans in our next webinar to focus on technology to help us all adapt to functioning safely in this COVID-19 environment.
My dear people, I’m calling on all of you to confront the fears this virus is causing. Wear your mask. Social distance. Wash your hands. I do it for my family and especially my grandchildren. Who do you do it for?
Former Gov. Carl TC Gutierrez is the president and CEO of Guam Visitors Bureau and chairman of the Governor’s Economic Strategy Council. Send comments or questions to GVB at [email protected].