By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Unified Command last week heard reports on the study of Sitka’s wastewater system for COVID-19, changes in travel requirements, and about aligning local mitigation guidelines with the state’s “leaning local” approach.
The group meets weekly to discuss the local response to the pandemic, and hear updates from state, healthcare and education officials.
Incident Commander John Leach said the state is expected to issue a press release on a COVID-19 study of Sitka’s wastewater treatment system, and wastewater systems around the state. The findings were explained to city officials on Monday, by UAA science professor Dr. Aaron Dotson, and DEC officials who conducted the study.
Leach said today the city has not decided whether to continue testing, how often, and what the city can learn from it.
In general, wastewater officials said today, the study of the single sample from Sitka’s wastewater system found that there was a “weak positive” result of COVID about the same time there were two confirmed cases in Sitka, around June 25.
Also at the Unified Command meeting, Leach talked about the updated state mandate for travelers coming into the state.
New regulations went into effect August 11 requiring travelers into the state to fill out their travel declaration form and test results electronically into the Alaska Travel Portal before departing for Alaska.
The updated Health Mandate 10 specifies that free testing is no longer offered at the airport for nonresidents, but they can pay the $250 fee per test when they arrive. No COVID testing is required for travelers into the state who are age 10 and under; and there is no longer a quarantine option for nonresidents without a test.
There is also a new box and new requirements on the travel declaration form for “critical infrastructure workforce employees.”
Allen Marine of Sitka is the contractor for COVID screening at the airport. Screening manager Stefania Potrzuski said today she is trying to get the word out about the changes that went into effect August 11 under the state’s revised Health Mandate 10. That includes the need to fill out travel information in advance electronically, not on paper.
“I encourage travelers to look up what the mandate requires and be prepared upon arrival to the airport,” she said today.
The travel declaration form is available at:
www.alaska.covidsecureapp.com.
Leach also updated the group on the Mudball Tournament discussions. The Sitka Softball Association canceled the tournament because of coronavirus concerns, and the city has also denied a Juneau group’s request to stage a Labor Day Tournament here. (See Monday’s Sentinel.)
Also at the meeting, Assembly member Thor Christianson, who heads the Unified Command logistics operations, said an order has been placed for 18,000 disposable masks for the community, including 2,000 pediatric masks.
Incident command Planning Section Chief Rob Janik told the group he is looking into new testing possibilities for the community, and is producing a spreadsheet for Sitka’s daily case rates, with mitigation and alert levels associated with a rolling 14-day average.
The group also talked about the state’s “leaning local” approach toward policies to control the coronavirus, but is providing guidance to communities to help make decisions.
“The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services has defined three alert levels of community transmission,” Unified Command said in its weekly press release. “These alert levels will complement our average daily new cases in Sitka over the past 14 days.”
Superintendent John Holst said Monday the school district is on track for arrival of teachers for the fall term. Teachers began to be tested starting August 15 and are to be retested every two weeks after that, he said. An in-service was planned for teachers to be trained in personal protection equipment.
“We’re still planning on opening on the 27th and 28th, with half the kids each day, and then all of them on Monday the 31st with the exception of high school,” Holst said. The high school plan calls for half of the kids in school one day, and the other half the next.
He clarified Monday that the half of the student body at home will be attending classes online. The school district reopening plan is at sitkaschools.org.
Holst said he’s working with the public health nurse on the running 14-day total of COVID cases, updated daily and published online.
“Our staff is very interested in that, so we’ll be continuing with that,” he said. He noted that Sitka is going back and forth between green to yellow every other day. (Green is low-risk, and yellow is medium risk.)
“We’re a little higher in the yellow today,” he said Monday. Holst said he monitors the numbers daily and the results are posted on the school district website. Today’s risk level posted today was also “yellow.”
In other reports to Unified Command, Mt. Edgecumbe High School Superintendent Janelle Vanasse said teachers started work August 13. Students start arriving this week, and school is scheduled to start August 24.
Public Health Nurse Denise Ewing provided a state rundown of cases, hospitalizations, ICU capacity, recovered cases, and deaths, with a breakdown of Southeast cases as well.
The Unified Command’s weekly news release included the usual reminders to “remain diligent and practice proper hygiene measures” including frequent hand washing, keeping social circles small, avoiding close contact, staying home when sick and wearing a face covering.
The news release also advised residents to “prepare for local emergency by ensuring each family member has a 14-day emergency supply kit, including any necessary medications.”
