Three new cases of COVID-19 have brought the total number of people infected by the coronavirus in Alaska to nine. Dr. Anne Zink, the state chief medical officer, says all three of the cases were travel related: one person traveled to Europe, the other two returned from the lower 48. All nine cases so far in the state involved recent out-of-state travel.
Zink says the state is entering a period in which mitigation strategies like social distancing will be important to reduce the future growth of cases.
“Please, please, please stay at home if you’re not feeling well,” Zink said. “Self-quarantine if you’ve traveled to Asia or Europe in the last 14 days, and please self-isolate yourself for the next 14 days if you came from the lower 48. We really have an opportunity here in Alaska to learn from our colleagues around the world and in the lower 48.”
Zink says all of the new Alaska residents with coronavirus are doing well and are not hospitalized.
The state has made it mandatory for people to stay at home for 14 days and avoid contact with others if they traveled within 14 days from countries the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have designated as the highest risk, including China, Iran, South Korea, and most European countries.
Adam Crum, commissioner of the Department of Health and Social Services, says the state and federal governments are waiving a work requirement for food stamp recipients.