Aerial view of Ketchikan (KRBD file photo).
Emergency officials in Ketchikan have reduced the community’s pandemic risk level to “moderate,” the second-lowest mark.
Ketchikan-based state public health nurse Arizona Jacobs says new cases of COVID-19 in Ketchikan have slowed dramatically after a record-breaking surge last month.
“They’re slowly trickling in. We’ve got some community spread still happening — some mystery cases — some close contacts to travel, another close contact yesterday,” Jacobs said by phone Friday. “So, slowing down — we’re able to breathe.”
The move to “moderate” means pandemic response officials are relaxing their recommendations for people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19. Masks are still recommended for unvaccinated people in public places, but officials say indoor gatherings of as many as 50 people are safe, as are outdoor gatherings of fewer than 100 people.
Recommendations for fully vaccinated residents do not change with the risk level, however. Ketchikan officials, relaying guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say people who received their final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine more than two weeks ago can safely go about daily activities because of the protection afforded by the three available vaccines.
Officials say that with the reduction in the community’s risk level, they’ll no longer issue a daily news release to announce new cases. The community’s COVID-19 dashboard will still be updated by 5 p.m. on weekdays with information about the pandemic situation in Ketchikan, officials say.
No new cases of COVID-19 were reported Friday, but one person is hospitalized with the disease in Ketchikan, according to the dashboard.
