Three more people test positive for COVID-19 in region

Three more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the region this week. Two are residents and one is a nonresident, and all three are in regional villages. This brings the total number of regional cases up to 23, with three cases active. All three cases are likely travel-related, according to the Norton Sound Regional Health Corporation. They come alongside another record high number of cases in Alaska.
The first new case was announced in Unalakleet on Sunday, August 2. The patient is not a resident of the region. The person tested in Anchorage before traveling to Unalakleet but did not receive their positive result until after arriving in Unalakleet. In accordance with Unalakleet’s travel restrictions, the patient was already self-isolating when the results came back. NSHC could not disclose whether the person had flown directly to Unalakleet from Anchorage or gone through Nome.
The second case was announced early Monday, August 3. The patient is a resident of a regional village who had also recently arrived from Anchorage, and NSHC has contacted village leadership and ensured that the patient and their close contacts are quarantining. At the patient’s request, NSHC does not identify the village.
The third case was announced later on Monday and was a second travel-related case in Unalakleet. This patient is a resident of the village who had recently travelled outside the region and has also been self-isolating since arriving back home. This week’s cases are the first COVID-19 cases in Unalakleet.
In response to the new cases, Unalakleet’s travel committee released a public service announcement reaffirming the village’s commitment to pandemic prevention measures. Masks are required in all public buildings at all times, and public gatherings of more than 10 people are discouraged. The committee also reaffirmed that travelers into the village must obtain a negative test result within 72 hours of their departure.
Meanwhile case numbers continue to climb in Alaska, with 159 new positive cases on Sunday alone. The majority of new cases continue to be in Anchorage, which intensified its lockdown with a four-week “reset” starting Monday. Bars and dine-in restaurants in Anchorage will be closed for the month of August, after experts warned that the current trajectory could put pressure on hospitals come September.
Alaska Airlines has announced that it will resume weekend flights from Anchorage to Nome starting Labor Day. They will be requiring travelers to wear masks at all times, both on the plane and in the terminal. The NSHC testing tent at the airport will be staffed on weekends once flights start coming in. There will be no flights between Kotzebue and Nome.
As of Tuesday, August 4, there 3,394 total cases in Alaska, 2,663 residents and 731 nonresidents. Of those cases, 2,382 are currently active. There are currently 28 patients in hospitals across the state, four of whom are on ventilators, and 25 people have died.
In the Nome, Bering Strait and Norton Sound region, there have been 23 total cases, three of which are currently active. No patients have been hospitalized and none have died.