After weeks of a minimal number of people testing positive for the novel coronavirus in Alaska, the number of new cases jumped by 18 in two days, pushing the statewide total by Friday, May 29, to 430, with 367 patients now recovered.
Health officials meanwhile announced plans to revise mandates for travelers incoming by air, to have them tested for the COVID-19 virus before traveling to Alaska in lieu of the 14-day quarantine.
Revisions for those traveling overland or by ferry are still under discussion.
Details on revisions to the travel mandate are to be announced on Monday, June 1.
Preliminary plans include having travelers get tested themselves no more than 72 hours before travel and having contractors available at Alaska airports to confirm who has tested negative and to arrange for quick testing of all those who did not have the proper documentation of test results. State contractors to test for the virus are to be in place at Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, Wrangell and Petersburg.
“If you get on a plane and don’t have your paperwork, we will provide the paperwork and test,” said Gov. Mike Dunleavy. The goal is to make this as easy as possible, with safeguards in place for all travelers and the communities they are heading for, he said.
The number of those testing positive is expected to rise as the state moves to reopen the economy, so what is occurring now should not surprise anyone, “but we are pretty confident that we will be able to manage it,” the governor said.
Even as businesses and public venues reopen, health officials are urging everyone to maintain social distance with those not in their family, wear face masks, wash hands frequently and stay home if they are ill.
Some smaller communities may still have in place restrictions on non-essential travel.
A total of 49,349 residents have now been tested, with 0.9 percent testing positive, state health officials said.
On May 29, five new cases, were reported, including two in Anchorage and one each in Juneau, Homer and Soldotna. That data came on the heels of 13 new cases in seven communities on Thursday, May 28, with four in Anchorage, one in Juneau, two in Homer, one in Kenai, one in Nikiski, three in the Kenai Peninsula Borough and one in the North Slope Borough.
Meanwhile the process of reopening the Alaska economy continues, with more businesses reopening with protocols in place to protect employees and customers., including mandatory masking and social distancing. With thousands of people seeking state unemployment insurance benefits after losing jobs because of the global pandemic, there is much pressure to get the economy moving again.
The Cordova City Council has unanimously approved reopening businesses and public venues, including houses of worship, libraries, museums, recreational facilities and sports facilities.
Still several big events, from the Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival in Cordova to the Alaska State Fair in Palmer and Salmonfest, in Ninilchik on the Kenai Peninsula, have been cancelled this year.
The highest infection counts statewide included Anchorage, 213, including four deaths; Fairbanks, 85, including two deaths; Juneau city and borough, 33; and the Kenai Peninsula Borough, 36, including one death. State updates on the number of people infected and recovered are posted by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services at coronavirus.alaska.gov.
