Traveler through Juneau Airport tests positive for COVID-19

A traveler who went through the testing station at the Juneau International Airport on June 6 has tested positive for COVID-19. The traveler is not a resident of Alaska and came to Juneau as a visitor. The individual is part of the State of Alaska’s nonresident case count today. Cumulatively, the state has 51 nonresident cases; this is Juneau’s first.

The City and Borough of Juneau and Bartlett Regional Hospital implemented COVID-19 testing stations at the airport to adhere to the State of Alaska’s revised Health Mandate 10 on international and interstate travel, which went into effect 12:01 a.m. June 6. From June 6 to June 9, 205 travelers have taken a COVID-19 test at the airport. Tests are being sent to the State of Alaska Public Health Laboratory in Fairbanks, and results take 48-72 hours to come back. Per state mandate, travelers who test at the airport are required to self-quarantine until results arrive.

Juneau Public Health Nursing has contacted the traveler who tested positive. That individual is in isolation and will remain so for a minimum of 10 days; the isolation period depends on when the person started exhibiting symptoms. Like all COVID-19 cases, Public Health has initiated a contact investigation and will reach out to any person who may have come into contact with this individual, including close contacts on the airplane. Public Health will notify and isolate additional persons as appropriate.

Nonresident COVID-19 cases do not get included in a community counts – Juneau is still at 35 cumulative COVID-19 cases; three of those cases are active, 32 have recovered.

As Juneau continues to open up and welcome more travelers, the most effective strategy to slow the spread of COVID-19 is prevention:

• Stay six feet or more away from non-family members.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others.
• Wash your hands frequently.
• Stay home if you are sick and get tested for COVID-19 if you have even mild symptoms. Call Juneau’s COVID-19 Screening Hotline at 586-6000, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

For detailed information on COVID-19 in Juneau, CBJ Emergency Operations Center provides daily updates on its local response to the pandemic, including information on travelers going through the airport. Read the updates here.