City of Cordova Coronavirus News

NEWS RELEASE

June 17, 2020 6:30 pm News Release No. 23

City of Cordova Confirms Second Positive Test Case

Cordova Medical Response Team has identified a positive result found in screening. This result will be confirmed by the state lab tomorrow, Thursday, June 18, 2020.

The individual is an Ocean Beauty empoloyee that has been in quarantine since arriving in Cordova and is asymptomatic. All contacts from quarantine bubble have been tested today and are negative. These individuals and all additional contacts that are identified in tracing will be tested and quarantined per state guidlines.

The Cordova Medical Response Team has confirmed that the screening process is working and is identifying cases early. As more information become available, the Medical Response Team will inform the City Incident Command, as appropriate.

For more information on City of Cordova’s COVID-19 response, please visit https://covid19.cityofcordova.net/

NEWS RELEASE

April 3, 2020, 5:00 pm, News Release No. 13

Coronavirus COVID-19

City of Cordova COVID-19 Confirmed Positive Case Count: 0

TESTING IN CORDOVA: As of 4/2/2020 there have been nine COVID-19 tests conducted in Cordova, with zero positive results. Between Cordova Community Medical Center and the Ilanka Community Health Center we have the capability to test 300 people in Cordova at this time. More tests have not been administered because individuals have not been sick enough to meet the CDC guidelines for testing. The amount of testing supplies, as well as the lab time to process tests, is limited within the community, state, and nation. We have requested more tests and are exploring every possible avenue to increase our testing ability in Cordova. An antibody test was considered for purchase by the City Council at an emergency meeting today. Council referred the agenda item to staff to conduct further research on these antibody tests, or others like them and/or other avenues for acquiring them. We will update the public as soon as we learn of any changes regarding our ability to test.

The Incident Management Team, which collaborates with our medical professionals and emergency management teams in Cordova and around the state, feel that the curve has been flatter in Alaska and virus incidence has been fairly low because of the social distancing and other steps that the tribes, governments, businesses, organizations and individuals have put in place to protect themselves and their communities. We cannot emphasize enough how critical it is to continue these practices.

THIS WEEK IN A NUTSHELL:

EMERGENCY ORDER 2020-2: Effective March 30, 2020, Emergency Order 2020-02 is available for review in its entirety on the Cordova Prepared page of cityofcordova.net and does the following:

1. Establishes Individual Distance Protocols in acknowledgement of the heightened health risk posed by travelers to Cordova.
   1. Level 1 Protocols are established for people who have been in Cordova for more than 14 days and include maintaining at least 6 feet of social distance from everyone outside your household and following all local, state and federal health mandates.
   2. Level 2 Protocols are established for people who have arrived in Cordova from a location inside or outside of the state within 14 days; including a 14-day home-quarantine except to travel to and from critical infrastructure work, to obtain services and supplies directly related to the individual’s critical workforce position, to obtain personal food and supplies through third party delivery; and to engage in outdoor physical activity only in areas where they are able at all times to maintain least six (6) feet distance between the individual subject to this rule and all other individuals.
   3. Individuals who display symptoms of COVID-19 must also self-quarantine in place for a minimum of 14 days except to seek medical care.

1. Requires all vessels/operators to sign Mutual Aid Agreements which identifies the measures taken by the City as well as protections provided by the operator to prevent the spread of COVID-19 amidst the operator’s employees and customers and within the Cordova community at large. It also binds the undersigned to agree to follow State and City mandates and orders including 14-day self-quarantine upon arrival, and to take responsibility for their crew to do the same. These agreements will be available in their entirety on the City website by Friday, April 3^rd. Requires local businesses open to more than five (5) customers at one time at a physical site within the City to adopt and post a “COVID-19 Protective Measures and Policies” on-site detailing the measures taken by that business to protect employees and customers from COVID-19 exposure.
2. Establishes temporary operation rules for the conduct of City business including provisions for electronic meetings, suspension of non-essential city meetings, adjustment of facility hours and usage, deferral of payments, and provisions for employee work rules.

PROCESSOR PLANS: The City of Cordova Incident Management Team continues to work closely with processors and local leaders in the commercial fishing industry to ensure compliance with State and City mandates, provide clarification on protocols, communicate local expectations, assist in planning of mitigation measures, and provide expert guidance from local healthcare professionals.

All processors are submitting plans to the State of Alaska and City of Cordova detailing how they plan to quarantine all staff arriving from out of town for 14 days. Some plans may even include closing their campus to incoming and outgoing traffic altogether or keeping staff on premises for the entire season. Each processor also plans to transport new arrivals directly from the airport to their facility. While they will still be allowed to work during their quarantine, newly arrived staff will remain on property and separate from the local workforce during this time. Many processors are instituting health pre-screenings before potential employees board aircrafts to Cordova, and regular or daily health screenings including temperature checks while working. Additionally, the City of Cordova has clarified the following mitigation expectations: groceries and supplies for quarantined staff available by delivery only; social distancing of 6ft must be exercised outside of work hours as per the CITY mandate; safety policy and procedures need to be in place for office, facility and contracted staff; create social distancing in the facility as much as possible; all employees need to be educated on social hygiene measures regarding COVID 19; clear signage regarding COVID 19 should be placed in common areas; protocol on reporting illness should be clear to all employees (Call CCMC or ICC immediately to report illness, providing time for staff to don PPE before arrival); cleaning procedures should be increased in all common areas; and isolation quarantine areas need to be set up and available on site for potentially ill workers.

COMMERCIAL FISHING TASK FORCE: There are still many questions surrounding how to adequately communicate rules, protocols, best practices and guidance to the broader fleet of commercial fishers who enter Cordova annually. For this reason and to increase open two-way communication between those within Cordova’s commercial fishing industry and the City on COVID-19 related issues, the City of Cordova’s Incident Management Team has established on April 1, 2020 a Commercial Fishing Task Force comprised of fishing industry leaders from Cordova District Fishermen United, Copper River PWS Marketing Association, local processors, and Cordova citizens with knowledge and experience in the industry. This group will begin meeting regularly next week.

KEEPING CORDOVA INFORMED:

• Daily Radio Updates: Starting today,Mayor Clay Koplin and other members of the City of Cordova COVID-19 Incident Management Team will be hosting a daily COVID-19 Radio Update. The program can be heard on KCDV-FM 100.9 and KLAM-AM 1450 at 1pm, 5pm and 8pm every Monday-Friday. The short program will include frequently asked questions and answers; as well as pertinent local, state and federal updates on COVID-19 status and planning. Archived radio updates will be available at youtube.com/cordovatv.
• Frequently Asked Questions: A special FAQ Session will be broadcast this Friday, April 3^rd with questions and answers gathered from those sent to our cordovaprepared@yahoo.com email account. It will be aired at 5:00pm on KLAM/KCDV Radio and archived on youtube.com/cordovatv. A print version will also be available on cityofcordova.net.
• Weekly News Briefings: The City of Cordova’s COVID-19 Incident Management Team will be continue to host live-streamed Press Briefings each Friday at 4:00pm, streamed live and available in the archive afterward at youtube.com/c/cityofcordovaalaska
• Infographics: The City of Cordova’s COVID-19 Public Information Team is developing a series of topical infographics, which are graphic visual representations of information, data, and knowledge intended to present information quickly and clearly. These will be released to the public as they are produced, and we invite the community to share them.

CITY FACILITY CLOSURES:

• Cordova School District
• Cordova Public Library
• Cordova Historical Museum & Gallery
• Bidarki Recreation Center
• Bob Korn Memorial Pool
• DMV – available by appointment only between the normal hours of Tuesday through Thursday 8:00 am – 3:30 pm until further notice.  Only one person will be permitted in the DMV office at a time. Please call 424-6125 to schedule your appointment.
• City Hall – available by appointment only between the normal hours of Monday through Friday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm starting Thursday March 19, 2020 and until further notice. Utility payments may be dropped off in the drop box located near the exit of the upper parking lot. You may also contact the finance department regarding other matters at finance2@cityofcordova.net and finance3@citofcordova.net. Please call 424-6200 to schedule your appointment.
• Harbor – Beginning Friday, March 20^th, the Harbor office will be closed to walk-ins. Payments can be made by mail or by phone Mon-Fri 8am-5pm. Appointments can be made to purchase shower tokens in bulk Mon-Fri 8am-5pm. Shipyard services are also by appointment. Starting March 20, 2020, the Harbor Department will not be accepting mail or packages. If you have mail or packages being delivered to the Harbor Office, please make other arrangements.

Please consult these resources for information:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – coronavirus.gov
• State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) – coronavirus.alaska.gov
• Dial 211 – The State of Alaska information line for non-clinical questions
• City of Cordova – cityofcordova.net

Let’s do our part and practice the CDC guidance to keep Cordova free of COVID-19 for as long as possible. Please take every precaution to care for yourself and loved ones. Updates will be posted regularly on the Cordova Prepared page of the City of Cordova Website and Facebook.com/groups/cordovaprepared/. General local questions can be directed to cordovaprepared@yahoo.com.