Petersburg’s second case of Covid-19 was announced Saturday morning. The Petersburg Medical Center informed the Petersburg Borough of a positive test result. The Petersburg Emergency Operations Center sent out a press release stating the infected person is in quarantine and State of Alaska public health officials are monitoring their condition.
The Alaska Division of Public Health is investigating other people the patient might have been in contact with and will notify them if needed. Anyone who was in direct contact with the person will be in self-quarantine for at least 14 days.
This is the second case of someone in Petersburg testing positive for Covid-19. A third resident, Pete Erickson, was infected while he was in Washington State getting medical treatment and eventually died, March 16 while in Washington.
The first person to test positive in Petersburg is recovered.
As of Friday, 76 tests had been conducted in Petersburg; 67 had come back negative with some still pending.
Petersburg’s Borough Assembly will consider three mandates regarding the Covid-19 outbreak at a regular meeting Monday night. The mandates look at face coverings, cruise ships, and businesses bringing workers to Petersburg from other places.
The Petersburg Emergency Operations Center is encouraging citizens to continue to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendations. for precautionary measures such as hand washing and social distancing and masking when in public spaces where social distancing cannot be maintained.
If residents have any symptoms, they are asked to call the Petersburg Medical Center’s 24-hour COVID Hotline at 907-772-5788 for medical advice. They ask that people do not go to the hospital or clinic before calling the hotline.
