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Travelers Returning To Alaska Are Asked To Follow These Guidelines

Katie Basile
/
KYUK

Update: On March 17, Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a annoucement that these travel guidelines are now mandates.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services issued newrecommendationson March 15 for travelers returning to Alaska. The travel guidelines are meant to reduce the spread of the coronavirus within the state.

 

Travelers returning from countries with a widespread outbreak of COVID-19 are considered “higher risk.” These countries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are China, Iran, South Korea, and European countries. For 14 days after returning to Alaska from these countries, travelers are asked to stay at home and avoid contact with other people in the household. They are also asked to contact their employer and not go to work or school for those 14 days.

 

Travelers retuning from outside Alaska, including other areas of the United States, are considered “medium risk,” and are also asked to take precautions during the 14 days after their return to the state.

 

These precautions include talking to your employer about your work situation before returning to work, minimizing contact with people as much as possible, and practicing social distancing. If you cannot safely distance yourself from others, this may mean not going to work or school, especially for travelers returning from areas like Seattle, where community transmission is occurring.

 

Both higher and medium-risk travelers are asked to observe their conditions by taking their temperature with a thermometer twice a day to monitor for fever. They are also asked to watch for breathing difficulty or the development of a cough. People who get sick with a fever of over 100.3 degrees, develop a cough, or experience shortness of breath are asked to call their health care provider. Returning travelers who do seek medical care for other health reasons are asked to call their doctor ahead of their visit and tell them about their recent travel.

 

All returning travelers are also asked to keep a 6-foot distance from others, avoid crowded places, limit public activities, and avoid mass transportation.

Anna Rose MacArthur served as KYUK's News Director from 2015-2022.
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