KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Story by Lex Treinen, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage
A seafood worker has tested positive for the coronavirus. It’s the fifth nonresident seafood industry worker to test positive in Alaska, according to the state Department of Health and Social Services.
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In a press release, the department said the worker was still in quarantine in Anchorage. Under state guidelines released Friday, out-of-state fisheries workers working on onshore fish processing plants can quarantine in Anchorage or Juneau for two weeks prior to departing to their destination communities. The case makes the 10th nonresident to test positive for the virus in Alaska.
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The state also announced the 11th positive case of the coronavirus among staff members at Juneau’s Lemon Creek Correctional Center. Last week, the Department of Corrections announced that all inmates and staff would be tested for the virus. The health department said in Sunday’s press release that the remainder of those results will be back “soon.”
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Four new coronavirus cases were reported among Alaska residents on Sunday. Two of those cases were from Anchorage, one was the Lemon Creek staff member in Juneau, and the fourth was from Homer. That brings the total case count among Alaskans to 396 with 344 recoveries so far.
This story previously used older guidance about where and how fisheries workers can quarantine. It has been corrected to clarify that under guidance released by the state on Friday, fisheries workers working on onshore processing plants may conduct a mid-travel quarantine in either Anchorage or Juneau prior to departing for their destination communities.
