CBJ and Public Health recommend COVID-19 testing for visitors to Juneau bars

The City and Borough of Juneau Emergency Operations Center is reporting 25 new COVID-19 cases in Juneau since Saturday, 19 of which were reported today. A number of these cases are linked to a large social gathering that took place at the end of August. Several individuals at the social gathering work in bars in Juneau. While there has not been any identified spread to patrons of the bars at this time, contact tracing shows that individuals who’ve tested positive socialized in other bar establishments during non-work time prior to their COVID-19 tests. As a result, the City and Borough of Juneau and State of Alaska Public Health recommend that anyone who socialized at a Juneau bar between August 24 and September 7 get tested for COVID-19 regardless of whether they have symptoms.

If you socialized at a Juneau bar between August 24 and September 7, please contact your healthcare provider for a COVID-19 test or call the CBJ COVID-19 Screening Hotline 586-6000 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to schedule an appointment for a test. Again, testing is recommended in this instance whether or not you have symptoms. If you do have symptoms, you should isolate until you’ve received your results. Some Juneau bars have voluntarily closed until their staff can be tested and cleared to return to work.

Cumulatively, Juneau has had 212 residents test positive for COVID-19 since March and 98 nonresidents. Combined, there are 38 active cases in Juneau and 271 individuals have recovered. All individuals with active cases of COVID-19 are in isolation. There are currently three people with COVID-19 hospitalized at Bartlett Regional Hospital. Community spread of COVID-19 continues to be an issue in Juneau. CBJ’s numbers – on cumulative case counts, and active and recovered cases – differ from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services dashboard numbers due to more timely reporting. CBJ is in regular contact with the Public Health officials in Juneau, and CBJ’s numbers are based on information received directly from them.

Statewide, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reports 35 new people with COVID-19 – all are residents. Alaska has had 5,833 cumulative resident cases of COVID-19 and a total of 891 nonresidents.

For more details on COVID-19 in Juneau, go to CBJ’s COVID-19 dashboard and read the daily updates from the Emergency Operations Center.