By Sentinel Staff
Sitka went from “moderate” to “low” risk for COVID-19 transmission today, with a rolling case rate of .36 cases per day.
It’s the first time since late October that the figures dipped into “yellow” territory – the lowest alert level in the yellow-orange-red color coding used by the city and state.
Going below .5 cases per day eases some of the precautions but keeps most in place: face masks are recommended when the 6 feet of physical distancing can’t be maintained.
Other recommendations include limiting the size of gatherings so that 6 feet of distancing can be maintained. Restaurants still say that delivery and carry-out are preferred; and for bars the guidance recommends employees wear masks and capacity be reduced to 50 percent so the 6 feet of distancing can be kept.
The city sent out an announcement from Unified Command advising the public about the local change from a “moderate” level to “low.”
The rolling average has declined in recent days, as several multiple case days – including those from travel – were dropped off the dashboard after two weeks’ time.
This week has had four days of no new positive tests. One positive test was added Wednesday, a symptomatic girl under 10, whose transmission classification was “community spread.” She was tested Tuesday and is isolating in Sitka.
Sitka has been between “low” and “moderate” since testing began, but went solidly into the “high” range – more than one case a day – in early November, and up to a high of five a day in late November. Since then, the 14-day rolling average has been on a steady decline, with a brief bump up in the first two weeks of January, mostly attributed to holiday gatherings and travel.
