Late Tuesday, the City and Borough of Juneau Emergency Operations Center announced the identification of two additional COVID-19 cases associated with a cluster at Thunder Mountain High School. This brings the total number of active cases at the school to five.
The finding prompted school officials to cancel in-person learning for the rest of the week at TMHS. In-person learning is expected to resume there on Monday, April 26. All other district schools are operating normally based on current schedules.
“The Juneau School District was initially notified over the weekend that three people at TMHS tested positive for COVID-19. Further testing has since revealed two additional cases as of Tuesday afternoon. Contact tracing in those cases is underway, prompting more tests for close contacts. The school will remain closed for in-person attendance while the process is completed,” said Kristin Bartlett, chief of staff for the district, in an email late Tuesday.
Although school officials canceled in-person learning at TMHS, most after-school activities and competitions will continue this week. However, according to the school’s website, boys soccer and wrestling will not meet as those teams are quarantining and testing.
Students at THMS have been participating in distance learning all week after school officials learned of the three COVID cases connected to the school on Sunday.
In-person classes to resume Thursday at Thunder Mountain
Local COVID numbers ticking up
Overall, CBJ reported 24 active COVID cases in Juneau as of Tuesday. The seven-day rolling average test positivity rate is 0.93%. The overall community risk level remains at 1, minimal. However, the 14 and seven-day case rates are at the moderate level, according to the city’s COVID-19 dashboard.
At Tuesday’s community COVID briefing, Mila Cosgrove, deputy city manager and incident commander for the emergency operations center, said the city’s caseload had been hovering around 20 infections for about a week. She urged residents to stay vigilant, follow all COVID mitigation measures and get tested if experiencing any symptoms.
To schedule a COVID-19 test, people can call 586-6000 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., seven days a week.
State lab ID’s British COVID variant in Juneau resident
Vaccination rates in the community continue to increase. As of Tuesday afternoon, 47.3% of Juneau’s residents are fully vaccinated, according to the city’s COVID-19 dashboard.
At this time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not authorized the use of the vaccine in people younger than 16.
• Contact reporter Dana Zigmund at dana.zigmund@juneauempire.com or 907-308-4891.
