Last week, as COVID-19 cases increased to their highest point in Alaska, the state eased its testing and quarantine requirements for travelers entering the state. The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is one of the areas where cases are increasing fastest in Alaska, and the regional health corporation is urging travelers entering the area to practice more robust testing and quarantine measures than required by state health mandates.
Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation Chief of Staff Dr. Ellen Hodges urges people arriving in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta to quarantine for 14 days. All incoming travelers are encouraged to get tested for free at the Bethel, St. Mary’s, or Aniak airports, and to then get a second test seven to 14 days after arriving.
“And just a quick reminder that testing does not replace quarantine. Even if you get that negative test on arrival or the negative test shortly thereafter, I would strongly recommend that people still maintain that quarantine for 14 [days],” Hodges said.
Test results return five to seven days after testing.
The state travel requirement is much more lenient. It requires people who receive a negative test result within 72 hours of departing for Alaska to socially distance from others for five days after arriving in the state. People who receive a negative test result after arriving in the state must quarantine until receiving the negative result, and socially distance from others for five days after arrival. State residents can choose to forgo testing and instead just quarantine for 14 days after arriving. Residents who travel outside the state for less than 72 hours do not need to test or quarantine under the revised state health mandates.
