Daily Sitka Sentinel

Sitka Emergency Panel Updates COVID Plans

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

What are the best ways to encourage “sheltering in place” during the COVID-19 pandemic?

How can Sitka keep COVID-infected people traveling into Sitka from infecting others?

What else should the city, emergency responders and the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium be doing to prevent or slow the spread of COVID-19 in Sitka?

Those were among the questions members of the Sitka Emergency Unified Command discussed among themselves Wednesday in their weekly meeting at the Sitka Fire Hall.

Present were EMS Capt. Rob Janik, City Clerk and public information officer Sara Peterson, Craig Warren from the fire hall, Police Chief Robert Baty, SEARHC chief medical officer Dr. Elliot Bruhl, SEARHC communications director Maegan Bosak, City Administrator John Leach.

Fire Chief Dave Miller was not present, but contributed comments by email.

As of Wednesday, Sitka had  no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Sitka but results are yet to be received for a number of tests.

Officials at the meeting discussed ways to make sure arriving passengers at the airport are advised of the state mandate, effective today, that they are to “self quarantine” for 14 days. It was suggested that someone be stationed at the airport to hand out flyers to all arriving passengers. There was some concern about the potential virus exposure to city workers who hand out the information and fill out travel logs.

Bruhl said SEARHC can handle those concerns.

“We’re happy to provide the equipment, we’re happy to provide the training, it’s not a problem,” he said. 

From left, Rob Janik, Sitka Fire Department EMS captain;  Police Chief Robert Baty; Dr. Elliot Bruhl, SEARHC chief medical officer; Craig Warren, Sitka Fire Department senior engineer; Maegan Bosak, SEARHC communications director; Sara Peterson, municipal clerk; and John Leach, city administrator, discuss the city’s plans for responding to COVID-19. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

Bruhl said he’s not as concerned with filling out forms, including passengers’ travel history, than providing the right information about the required 14-day quarantine and other information. On Tuesday the Assembly passed a resolution calling on citizens to “hunker down” - “shelter in place.” The administrator had issued an advisory with the same recommendation on Sunday, following reports of more cases in Ketchikan and Juneau, and across Alaska.

Bruhl also reported on SEARHC’s changes in testing criteria (see story).

“We are broadening our testing criteria,” he said. “We’ll be testing pretty much everybody who meets the case criteria, rather than worrying about travel history or contact ... If you look, seven of the eight cases in Ketchikan are not travel-related. So what that tells us medically is that it’s in the communities and being spread in the communities, at least in Ketchikan; it is probably here too.”

If someone has fever and a cough, or fever and shortness of breath, or fever and upper respiratory illness they will be tested, Bruhl said. He said more than 100 people have been tested, and 86 came back negative. Results are pending for more than 20 tests.

“Our testing supplies are strong – I have no worries about testing anybody that needs a test,” he added.

Other COVID-19-related changes at SEARHC:

– creation of a “COVID-19 wing” at the Mt. Edgecumbe hospital, with “all negative pressure.”

– the ability to ventilate up to 12 patients right now, plus a “line on additional ventilators.” He said he is working with Swedish Medical Center to provide extra support remotely.

– the ability to hold “virtual visits” between providers and patients, and face to face visits if needed.

There were some expressions of frustration expressed at the meeting about an apparent lack of public awareness about the virus, with people still congregating in groups throughout town.

“Certain population groups aren’t taking this too seriously,” Baty commented.

The team talked about better ways to get out all the information that people should have, including to new arrivals in the harbors.

On a question about city staff morale, Leach said that, given the circumstances, “I’d like to say high – as high as it can be.” Questions are still coming up about leave and working from home, he added.

Bruhl advised Leach to provide updates to personnel regularly, responding to questions that come up.

“The more we communicate the better,” he said.

Bruhl also talked about the newspaper delivery as filling a critical need, in terms of getting information to residents.

“If things get worse, and there’s a good chance they will, it’s going to be a vacuum without the paper,” particularly for those who rely on it as their main source of information, he said.

Other safety measures were discussed, including ways to distribute masks to help prevent the spread of COVID.