Health officials on Prince of Wales Island reported one new coronavirus infection on Monday. That’s the island’s seventh cumulative case. Officials say it’s the only known active infection on the island.
“The case is in a Prince of Wales community which will not be disclosed to the general public per state policy of not disclosing communities under the population of 1,000,” Craig Public Health nurse Stacey Mank said in a prerecorded message on the Prince of Wales Island COVID-19 hotline.
Local, state and federal officials encourage residents to maintain pandemic precautions, like hand-washing, staying six feet away from non-household members and wearing a mask in public settings.
“If you’re young and healthy and not particularly concerned about a negative outcome if you contract the virus, please remember that we have individuals who are vulnerable in our community. It will take everyone working together to protect our island community as a whole,” Mank’s message continued.
COVID-19 testing is available on Prince of Wales Island — every weekend, the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium offers free coronavirus tests to anyone on the island. In Hydaburg, testing runs from 9 a.m. to noon Fridays at the Alma Cook Health Center. In Klawock, a testing site at Alicia Roberts Medical Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. There’s more information at covid19.searhc.org.
Out-of-state travelers that choose COVID-19 testing as an alternative to a 14-day quarantine are required to take a second test between 7 and 14 days after arriving. On Prince of Wales Island, PeaceHealth is providing follow-up testing. There’s more information at 826-3257.
Information about coronavirus infections on Prince of Wales Island is at the island’s COVID-19 hotline at 888-894-1321.
In Ketchikan, there’s more information at the local testing hotline: 247-TEST.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the day on which testing is available in Hydaburg.
