For now, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation is not changing its recommended quarantine times. YKHC says that anyone exposed to COVID-19 should quarantine for a full 14 days.
YKHC's recommendation comes despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changing its recommendation for quarantining. On Dec. 2, the CDC said that close contacts of COVID-19 positive individuals could quarantine for 10 days instead of 14, as long as they don’t experience any symptoms. The CDC said that quarantine time could shorten to 7 days if people receive a negative test result.
The health departments for the State of Alaska and for Anchorage both adopted the CDC’s updated quarantine recommendations. However, the Y-K Delta continues to post the highest rates of COVID-19 infection in the state. On Nov. 30, the New York Times showed the Bethel Census Area as having the 14th highest number of recent cases per capita in the United States compared to other counties.
YKHC spokesperson Gage Hoffman wrote in an email that the CDC states that its updated recommendations are subject to local conditions and needs. Hoffman wrote that “based on conditions in the Y-K region, we are not changing our recommendation.” YKHC still recommends that anyone in the Y-K Delta exposed to COVID-19 quarantine for a full 14 days.
