The Department of Administration (DOA) is now ready to accept claims under the Covid-19 Bereavement Assistance Fund, the Office of the Governor announced today.
The Covid-19 Bereavement Assistance Fund was established through an executive order to assist the families of individuals who have died due to Covid-19 or Covid-19-related complications. This one-time grant is worth $10,000 per decedent.
As of Oct. 14, Guam's Covid-19 death toll was 61.
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“As the number of deaths due to Covid-19 increases, too many individuals are facing both the incredible loss and the incredible financial burden associated with losing their loved ones. With each passing, I call the family to offer my condolences, and too many times during these calls, I hear their struggle to bury their loved ones in dignity,” said Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero. “No family in mourning should have to worry about this. Creating the Covid-19 Bereavement Assistance Fund was the least we could do to help these families. ”
“Though no amount of material wealth can replace the life of a loved one, the Covid-19 Bereavement Assistance Fund was established to comfort families through this grieving process,” said Lieutenant Governor Josh Tenorio. “We hope this assistance will help relieve some of these unexpected financial burdens.”
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The Joint Information Center reported 75 new positive cases out of 526 samples tested on Oct. 13.
To date, there have been a total of 3,341 officially reported cases of Covid-19 with 61 deaths, 995 cases in active isolation and 2,285 not in active isolation. Of those cases, 3,059 are classified as civilians and 282 are military service members.
Of the 75 new cases, 19 were identified through contact tracing. Four cases reported recent travel from the United States and were identified in quarantine.
On Wednesday, the Guam Department of Education confirmed that two individuals from the GDOE Tiyan headquarters and John F. Kennedy High School tested positive. These cases include employees or contractual workers and were identified through contact tracing efforts. The GDOE is working closely with DPHSS to conduct contact tracing and any close contacts of the confirmed cases will be contacted directly by DPHSS.
Areas of JFKHS and the GDOE Tiyan offices will be identified for cleaning and disinfecting as needed. Employees will not have access to these areas until cleaning has been completed. Hard copy packet and food distribution will continue uninterrupted, according to JIC.
