Credit Courtesy of Tacho
The City of Unalaska lowered its local COVID-19 risk factor to medium Monday. That s following two weeks without a new case stemming from community spread and a decrease in the overall number of new and active cases.
And the City Council could ease some of the island s COVID-19 health mandates at a special meeting Wednesday at noon.
Last week, councilors reduced the number of days travelers to the island must quarantine upon arrival, in light of updated federal guidance. But Unalaska still has a number of local health measures in place, including mandatory mask-wearing indoors and limitations on the number of people who can gather.
Credit Berett Wilber/KUCB
Unalaska officials have reduced the number of days travelers to the island must quarantine upon arrival.
Updated federal guidance recommends incoming travelers quarantine for at least a week with a negative COVID-19 test taken no sooner than their sixth day. Local health professionals now really do support aligning with the guidance that s provided by the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] as well as the state, Unalaska City Manager Erin Reinders told the City Council on Tuesday.
The quarantine period is extended to 10 days if no test is taken. That supersedes Unalaska s previous requirement that incoming travelers quarantine for a full two weeks upon arrival. It excludes those who have tested positive in the past three months or have been fully vaccinated at least two weeks before traveling.
Credit Hope McKenney/KUCB
Alaska is leading the nation in vaccinations per capita. But compared to many other parts of the state, Unalaska s vaccine rollout seems to be moving slowly.
KUCB s Hope McKenney sat down with health officials from Iliuliuk Family and Health Services and the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association to discuss how the island s rollout is going and how recent changes in statewide eligibility guidelines could affect locals.
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