Angoon has reported its first confirmed case of the coronavirus.
The City of Angoon’s Emergency Operations Center announced the case Monday evening in a press release on Facebook after learning of it from the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium.
Read more stories of how the coronavirus is affecting rural Alaska
Angoon’s city office is closed until further notice, and the city plans to begin community-wide testing Wednesday. The Admiralty Island village of around 450 people has asked residents to “hunker down and avoid contact with anyone outside of their household until further notice.”
Students in Angoon were scheduled to start in-person classes on Tuesday. Now Chatham School District Superintendent Bruce Houck says students in Angoon will work online until Aug. 31, and all staff will test weekly.
Earlier this month, Angoon’s mayor issued a mask requirement following the first reported case of COVID-19 in the neighboring community of Kake. He also proposed a resolution at a city council meeting to bring travel restrictions back to the remote community, but the resolution was tabled.
Erin McKinstry is a Report for America corps member.
