coronavirus

Officials reported six positive cases of COVID-19 in Cold Bay on Saturday. Because the individuals are residents of the Alaska Peninsula village, the state will report them as positive cases for the Aleutians East Borough, according to Eastern Aleutian Tribes.

The regional tribal healthcare provider said in a statement that upon receiving the positive test results, the unnamed individuals were placed in isolation.

The healthcare provider is working with city and state officials to ensure precautions are taken to protect anyone who may have been exposed to the coronavirus.

On the remote Pribilof Island of St. Paul, the school year started off with roughly 25 percent of students doing home-based education, despite the fact that the school was open to students.

As the year has progressed, most of those students have returned. But like in many remote areas in Alaska, St. Paul remains on high alert because the effects of returning to distance-based education in the small community of just 397 people could be particularly devastating.

The Unalaska City Council voted unanimously to extend the city's declaration of a local emergency during its meeting last Tuesday. The declaration will expire at the end of June next year. 

"With the start of 'A' season, with flu season underway, with hospital beds and use on the rise, with cases on the rise — I think there are plenty of rational reasons why we would want to go to that June 30 deadline," said City Manager Erin Reinders. "It'll [help] keep it on everyone's radar that this is for the long haul and we all need to remain diligent in our efforts."

A King Cove resident has tested positive for COVID-19 in Anchorage. That's according to Eastern Aleutian Tribes, which announced the case on Thursday.

Upon receiving the positive test result, the unnamed individual was immediately placed in isolation, according to the regional tribal healthcare provider.