City and Borough of Juneau’s emergency operations center on Thursday reported three new COVID-19 cases.
One person who tested positive for the illness is a nonresident, and two are residents, according to the city. How the residents acquired COVID-19 is under investigation, according to the city, and the nonresident is in the mining sector.
Of the four resident cases reported by the city on Wednesday, Public Health has attributed three of them to contact with a known COVID-19 case, according to the city. One remains under investigation.
The new cases bring the number of confirmed resident cases in Juneau to 155 and nonresident cases to 94, according to city data. Statewide, 86 new cases were reported on Thursday. Of the news cases, 84 are residents and 82 are nonresidents, according to Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.
The new cases were spread among 19 communities with Anchorage, 41 cases, seeing the largest single-day increase. Fairbanks, 10 cases, was the only other area to see a double-digit increase, according to state data.
The new cases bring the state’s total to 4,520 among residents, according to state data, and 812 among nonresidents.
Three new hospitalizations were also reported. There have now been 187 total hospitalizations, according to state data.
No new deaths were reported. So far 29 Alaskans have died with COVID-19, according to state data.
So far, 1,328 people have recovered, according to state data, and there are 3,163 active cases.
Common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, breathing trouble, sore throat, muscle pain and loss of taste or smell. Most people develop only mild symptoms, but some people — usually those with other medical complications — develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal.
New mitigation measures
City and Borough of Juneau’s new COVID-19 mitigation measures go into effect at noon on Friday.
The measures, which are based on community risk metrics, include the following:
The following measures are effective as of 12 p.m. Friday, August 21:
— Bars must not exceed 50% capacity
— Indoor gatherings are limited to 50 people with safety measures, unless a COVID-19 mitigation plan is submitted and approved by the CBJ Emergency Operations Center
— Personal Services by appointment only, no waiting areas
— Gyms at 50% capacity
City Manager Rorie Watt, in a news release, asked affected businesses to help implement these changes and to enforce the mask ordinance in order to decrease Juneau’s overall risk level.
“I’ve seen good compliance, but businesses and patrons can be better, particularly in bar settings,” Watt said. “Nationwide, bars have been a source of big COVID spread events and we don’t want that to happen here. By implementing these measures, our hope is to reduce our risk level to Minimal and keep the community open. Let’s position our businesses and school district for success.”
