COVID-19 update: Week 8

In the eighth week of measures taken to slow the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the state’s Dept. of Health and Social Services reported a total case count of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 at 371. There have been so far a total of 38 hospitalization and nine deaths in Alaska.
There is no new case reported in Nome. One patient tested positive, but is listed as recovered now.
Norton Sound Health Corporation in their daily update reported on their testing efforts, saying that 874 people were tested in the region, as of May 5.
There are a total of 800 test kits available in the region, about 300 of which can be run in the Nome NSHC lab. Statewide a total of 22,692 tests have been conducted.
During a budget work session of the Nome Common Council last week, City Manager Glenn Steckman updated the Council on the partial opening of Nome and Alaskan businesses. He said of the seven local restaurants, six have chosen to stay closed and only do take-out.
Steckman also updated the Council that travel mandates are still in place and City staff enforces the mandatory 14-day quarantine requirement by calling the new arrivals. He said he receives many requests from seasonal miners - Governor Dunleavy declared mining as an essential business - but he discourages the seasonal gold seekers from coming to Nome before the end of May. He also dispelled a myth that once people get tested and have a negative test result that they don’t have to adhere to the quarantine. Not so, he said. People coming to Nome must quarantine for 14 days.