Whittier Seafood records 11-person Covid cluster, part of 17 new seafood worker cases across Alaska
The workers have been tested daily since arrival in Alaska.
Eleven seafood workers at Whittier Seafood in the Valdez-Cordova area of Alaska tested positive for coronavirus June 3, part of a spate of 17 new cases across the sector.
The City of Whittier and Whittier Seafood are both working together and in coordination with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) to respond to the cluster of cases.
After arriving in Whittier, the workers were quarantined, screened daily and tested. When one worker tested positive, additional testing was immediately initiated to identify the other positive cases and track close contacts, said a DHSS update.
All individuals are now isolated, being monitored and receiving appropriate medical care. The workers have been quarantined on their employer’s campus since arriving in Whittier.
Whittier Seafood's factory is in operation from June through the middle of September, employing over 275 people, says the company website.
It brings the total nonresident cases to 41, of which 30 have been reported as coming from the seafood sector.
All three of the Aleutians West Census Area cases are in the seafood industry in Unalaska, said an update from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Service. The asymptomatic workers were in quarantine at the time of testing and tested according to their employer's workforce protection plan.
Eight new cases among Alaskan residents were also recorded, bringing the total number of cases in the State to 513.
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