Earlier this week, KYUK reported that at least three Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta communities are in lockdown because of COVID-19. That number has increased to at least four communities in lockdown: Emmonak, Quinhagak, Kipnuk, and Kasigluk.
An Emmonak resident tested positive for the coronavirus late last month. That day, the Emmonak Tribal Council declared a two-week community-wide lockdown, ending Oct. 12. Addie Kameroff-Crane, Emmonak Tribal Office CARES Act Coordinator, said that there are no other confirmed cases in the community.
During the lockdown, travelers must receive tribal council permission to enter or leave Emmonak. Anyone returning to Emmonak must quarantine for two weeks. The Emmonak Tribal Council is encouraging everyone to stay home, avoid large crowds, and keep children from playing in large groups. The city has closed bingo until the lockdown ends.
Tribal office workers are running errands for people in quarantine. People in quarantine are allowed to leave their homes to go on walks, dump trash, ride their vehicles, and gather subsistence. But they must wear masks, stay 6 feet from others, and avoid public places.
Essential workers must receive tribal council permission to return to work before their quarantine ends. If approved, the workers must go directly from home to work and back, avoiding public areas. School is holding in-person classes during the lockdown, but parents are allowed to keep their children out of school, doing remote learning, until the lockdown ends. The tribal council is encouraging anyone who sees someone breaking the rules of quarantine to report them to the tribal court.
This is the second lockdown Emmonak has entered because of COVID-19. The first was in July, after one resident tested positive for the virus.
[Read about the lockdowns in Quinhagak, Kipnuk, and Kasigluk.]
