ruralcovid

In a private conversation Bethel Mayor Michelle DeWitt urged Gov. Mike Dunleavy to extend the disaster declaration so that the city could keep testing arriving passengers, as a surge in COVID-19 cases rocks the region.

The village of Nunapitchuk went into strict lockdown after it discovered positive cases, but also used traditional medicine.

The state of Alaska doesn't release the names of villages with a population under 1000, but regional health authorities hope that naming the villages will help encourage people to take more precautions.

Residents of Kotzebue made up a large majority of the cases, with 96 residents testing positive. The villages of Buckland and Noatak also saw spikes.

The Southeast Alaska town’s only road out runs through British Columbia and since March, its residents hadn't been allowed to cross the border.

Workers are wearing the same gloves for up to six patients and sanitizing the gloves with alcohol-based hand sanitizer between patients.

With hand washing stations made from buckets and locally-made bleach, communities are doing the best they can to cope with coronavirus cases.

The report comes after two weeks without a case in the Norton Sound community.

The community has about 700 people.

Two of the six cases were reported in children.