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On June 18, a positive case of COVID-19 was detected among Trident Seafoods employees, according to a press release from the EOC, and as of Wednesday, the case is still active. All Trident Seafoods employees that travel to Petersburg are tested for COVID-19 prior to arriving in town and are quarantined in a bunkhouse upon arrival, according to the press release. The workers are then tested again on the tenth day of a 14 day quarantine. It was on the individual's 10th day in quarantine when the...
An employee with Trident Seafoods has tested positive for COVID-19 on the individual’s tenth day of quarantine after arriving to the community, according to a press release from the Petersburg Emergency Operations Center. All Trident Seafoods employees that travel to Petersburg are tested for the virus prior to arriving in town and are quarantined in a bunkhouse upon arrival, according to the press release. The workers are then tested again on the tenth day of a 14 day quarantine. The individual’s roommate was also tested on the tenth day of...
The borough assembly held a special meeting on Friday to enter into a contract with the state of Alaska to receive payment for the borough's greeting, screening and testing services currently in place at the Petersburg Airport. As per the updated state health mandate #10, those coming into the state will either have to show proof that they received a negative COVID-19 test result three days before arriving in Alaska, receive a negative test result upon entering Alaska or quarantine for 14 days...
The COVID-19 pandemic was able to cancel this year's Little Norway Festival, but the community is still going to host the Fourth of July Festival, though it will look different from past years. This year's theme will be Stay Strong Together to remind families they can persevere through the pandemic together. The games and events that usually take place on July 3 on main st. will now be held virtually from the Lighthouse Assembly of God parking lot. The harbor games have been cancelled, but the f...
WRANGEL - Several local fishermen have been volunteering their time and energy, more so than usual, at Wrangell's sole operating seafood processor. With the decision by Trident Seafoods to not operate this summer, Sea Level Seafoods has been the only local option available for fishermen to process their catches. However, thanks to a number of factors brought on by COVID-19, Sea Level has been shorthanded. This has led to a number of fishermen volunteering to help process crab, as well as catch...
WRANGELL - The number of COVID-19 cases in Wrangell has increased since last week's edition of the Wrangell Sentinel. As of Tuesday, June 23, there are eight total cases of the virus in town. The fourth case was announced on Wednesday, June 17. According to a joint press release from the city and SEARHC, the patient was an unnamed traveller. He was identified through the airport testing program and is currently in quarantine. "So far, the State's airport testing program has proven to be...
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) – A person who didn’t follow quarantine procedures after arriving in Alaska has created the possibility of broad community spread of the coronavirus after going to social gatherings and public places in Ketchikan while awaiting results of a COVID-19 test that turned out positive, officials said. The person arrived in Ketchikan Saturday and underwent testing for COVID-19. The state says anyone tested on arrival is to quarantine until they receive a negative test result. Under the state rules, one is not to leave a quaranti...
Unexpected upheavals stemming from the coronavirus have slowed the process of getting relief payments into the hands of fishermen and communities hurt by the 2018 Gulf of Alaska cod crash. In late February, the Secretary of Commerce cut loose $24,416,440 for affected stakeholders. Then in late March, Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang proposed a written timeline for developing a distribution plan and also called for input from communities and fishing groups. A draft of the initial plan was intended to compile...
Public health mandate #3, which suspends in person participation of public meetings, was amended by the borough assembly at their meeting Monday to allow assembly, board and commission members the opportunity to hold a quorum in person. The health mandate was issued on April 3 and was extended on June 1 and will be in effect until terminated. While assembly, board and commission members would be allowed to meet in person during meetings, the public and department heads would not be allowed to...
On Tuesday, Petersburg Medical Center staff were ready to start collecting test samples from passengers flying into town as of the afternoon jet to be tested for COVID-19, said PMC Director of Patient Care Services Angela Menish. As passengers get off the plane and exit the tarmac, they are greeted by borough employees. If an individual is arriving from another part of Alaska, then they can enter the community. If the individual is arriving from outside of the state or country, then they are dir...
The borough assembly approved resolution #2020-10 at their meeting on Monday, which approves the purchase of two handicap accessible restroom trailers for a total of $92,870. The purchase of the trailers from Comforts of Home Services, Inc. will be covered by the funding the borough received from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, according to the resolution. The borough is able to purchase the restrooms with CARES Act funding because they have hand washing capabilities...
The Petersburg School Board reviewed a guidance document released by the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development at their school board meeting last week that lays out a framework on planning and strategies for reopening schools in the fall. The Alaska Smart Start 2020 document uses a three tiered risk/color system to allow each school district to react to the state of the COVID-19 pandemic in their municipality. The framework provided by the Alaska Smart Start 2020 document is not m...
The borough assembly revised and extended public health mandate #5 at an assembly meeting on Monday, which now requires all vessels arriving in Petersburg harbor to meet requirements for out of state passengers as laid forth in state health mandate #10. On May 18, the assembly extended the deadline of public health mandate #5 through June 30, but on Monday it was extended through Aug. 31 to correspond with state health mandate #10. The state health mandate affects intrastate and interstate...
King Salmon As of June 15, fishing for king salmon is now open in the majority of our local waters. Due to reduced nonresident harvest in the sport fishery related to COVID-19, the Southeast Alaska regional king salmon bag, possession, and annual limits were increased last week. Updated king salmon regulations as of June 15th are listed below: Alaska resident: • Daily bag and possession limit of 3 king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length. Nonresident: • Daily bag and possession limit of 1 k...
WRANGELL - After last week's announcement of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Wrangell, two other cases were confirmed shortly after. Wrangell now has three total cases of the virus. One case has been declared recovered. However, there is some question about the source of the third case. Public Health officials state that Wrangell's third case was a contact with the first case, but the first case said she does not know how that could be. The first case was announced on Sunday evening,...
All systems are go for keeping close tabs on fish and crab stocks in waters managed by the state, meaning out to three miles. While constraints from the coronavirus resulted in nearly all annual stock surveys being cut in deeper waters overseen by the federal government, it’s “closer to normal” closer to shore. “While it’s not business as usual, we are conducting business in as close to normal fashion as we can,” said Forrest Bowers, deputy director of the commercial fisheries division of the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game. “We have kept all...
An employee with Trident Seafoods has tested positive for COVID-19 on the individual's tenth day of quarantine after arriving to the community, according to a press release from the Petersburg Emergency Operations Center. All Trident Seafoods employees that travel to Petersburg are tested for the virus prior to arriving in town and are quarantined in a bunkhouse upon arrival, according to the press release. The workers are then tested again on the tenth day of a 14 day quarantine. The... Full story
About 160 residents showed up for a vigil on Sunday outside of the Petersburg Courthouse for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, who allegedly died during encounters with police, to show their solidarity with protests and movements across the country. Both Floyd and Taylor are African-American. Chelsea Tremblay, one of the organizers of the vigil, said she wanted to create a safe space for people to come and reflect on their thoughts. During the vigil, those in attendance stood in a circle around...
An updated version of Gov. Dunleavy's state health mandate #10 took effect early Saturday morning and set new guidelines for residents and visitors who are entering Alaska from the lower 48 or another country. According to the revised mandate, travelers into the state will have to meet one of four requirements upon arrival to avoid having to self quarantine for 14 days. They can be tested for COVID-19 before traveling, or they can be tested in Alaska when they arrive. If the individual has...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved an ordinance in its third reading at a special meeting last week that creates a new special revenue fund for the first distribution of Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funding to the borough in the amount of $2,216,502. The borough received the first distribution of CARES Act funding on May 1, with two more distributions expected on July 1 and on October 1. The borough will receive a total of $3,978,894 in CARES Act funding. The third...
Outdoor activities will possibly resume at Mitkof Middle School and Petersburg High School on July 13, said Activities Director Jaime Cabral at the Petersburg School Board meeting on Tuesday. School districts throughout Southeast Alaska put together a document with guidelines from the Alaska School Activities Association and the state on how activities can safely resume. While some schools throughout the region have already resumed activities, others haven't, said Cabral. The reason the Petersbu...
Precautions being taken To the Editor: The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department is continuing to enforce its protection measures for its members and the public at the Fire Station. This is to maintain a safe working environment during the current health concern caused by Covid-19. The public and department members have been encouraged to minimize their visitation to the station to lessen the potential spread of this virus to department employees and volunteers. An infection of a member could... Full story
Surveys of Alaska's fish, crab and halibut stocks in the Bering Sea have been called off or reduced due to constraints and dangers posed by the coronavirus. In what they called an "unprecedented" move, NOAA Fisheries announced in late May that five Alaska surveys will be cancelled this summer "due to the uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the unique challenges those are creating for the agency." NOAA said in a statement that they found "no way to move forward with a survey plan...
WRANGELL - On Sunday evening, June 7, the first positive case of COVID-19 was announced in the community of Wrangell. A joint press release from the city and SEARHC reports that the patient is an unnamed female. She is a resident of Wrangell, according to the press release, and is asymptomatic. Contact tracing, trying to determine who might have come into contact with the patient and may potentially be at risk, is currently ongoing. "SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC)...
WRANGELL - The Wrangell Borough Assembly met last Wednesday evening, June 3, for a special meeting. City administration was wanting to enter a Memorandum of Understanding with SEARHC to provide COVID-19 testing for Sea Level Seafood employees. The total cost for the proposed memorandum, according to the meeting's agenda packet, comes out to $60,000. This amount provides some padding in case of emergency, the actual cost of the memorandum is anticipated to be $52,500. "In order to ensure an...
