Camacho-Ada asks governor to end public health emergency

By Pacific island Times News Staff

Former Gov. Felix Camacho, the Republican candidate for governor, and his running mate, Sen. Tony Ada, today urged Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero to end the public health emergency, which expires tomorrow.

"Let’s look at the facts. We have all seen overall case data of Covid-19 come down over the past nine months, 98 percent of the Guam population have taken U.S. Food and Drug Administration-authorized SARS-CoV-2 vaccines," the Camacho-Ada campaign said in a statement.

They noted that Guam residents have taken the related booster shots, while Covid testing and treatments are widely available. Surveillance resources are being maximized both locally and nationally.

"Governor Leon Guerrero-your political response to this public health emergency has hurt this island community at every level," the Camacho-Ada campaign said. "End this public health emergency now and help return Guam back to normalcy with freedom and hope restored.”

Leon Guerrero first declared Guam under public health emergency in March 2020, allowing the government to access resources unavailable during non-emergencies, like stockpiles of medical goods and equipment, and temporarily waive or suspend certain rules and regulations.

Across the United States, governors and state agencies relied on emergency power authority to enact lockdown and stay-at-home orders, mask mandates, and other restrictions on businesses and individuals.

While Covid-related restrictions have been lifted, the public health emergency continues to allow the government to circumvent certain rules and regulations related to procurement and use of funds.

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