By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
With three new positive COVID-19 test results reported over the weekend by the Alaska Division of Public Health, Sitka’s alert level for the coronavirus went from low to medium alert level.
The corresponding color for the current alert level is orange, based on the 14-day rolling average case rate of .57 cases per day. The current number of active cases is five.
The total cumulative number of resident cases is 49; with 17 nonresident cases; and 1 cumulative hospitalization.
The three cases Friday and Saturday were male residents:
– two cases age 20-29. One patient is asymptomatic, tested Sept. 24 and results received Sept. 26. The transmission class is “community spread,” contact tracing has been completed and the patient is isolating. The other patient is symptomatic, and contact tracing is occurring. He was tested Sept. 26 with results received the following day. He is isolating.
– One man age 60-69. The patient is symptomatic, and public health officials are conducting contact tracing. He was tested Sept. 26, with results received the following day. He is isolating.
A new feature on the city of Sitka’s COVID dashboard is “transmission class,” which includes “travel,” “community spread” or “secondary.”
The “moderate” alert level is accompanied by a new list of precautions advised, including masks in indoor public spaces; six-foot physical distancing; gatherings limited to 100 people and outdoor events encouraged; indoor capacity reduced in restaurants, employees wear masks, and carryout preferred; and capacity of bars reduced to 50 percent of capacity and masks required for employees.
Mt. Edgecumbe High School uses two systems in reporting alert levels, the city’s and the one for the campus. The dashboard posts the “moderate” (orange) risk level, which aligns with the city’s. School officials said there is a “low” alert level (yellow) for the campus. The school reports no active cases on campus.
Superintendent Janelle Vanasse has advised staff members about the change in the community’s risk level, and how it affects campus activities. That means town leave for students has been canceled, and no visitors to campus (this does not include teachers and other staff). Deliveries are allowed.
Mt. Edgecumbe students were advised this afternoon that town leave has been canceled. Vanasse stressed the importance of using caution.
“If we were to catch it in town we would be really vulnerable, with students living together in close quarters,” she said. “The reality is we’ve got to shut that door because we can’t take that risk.”
The Sitka School District raised risk level under its three-color system from low (green) to medium (yellow), based on a total of eight cases in Sitka in the past two weeks.
“If there aren’t any new cases in four days, we’ll be back in green,” Sitka School District Superintendent John Holst said.
This change in alert level causes very few changes in terms of operations, Holst said.
