Ketchikan’s pandemic alert level fell to “low” Wednesday.
It rose to “medium” last week after contact tracers couldn’t link three recent COVID-19 infections to travel or contact with someone known to have the virus — what officials call “community spread.” But after a week without any new community spread cases, the risk level fell back to “low.”
At a medium risk level, officials recommended reducing bar and restaurant capacity to ensure adequate spacing between patrons. Other recommendations included requiring appointments for salons and capping outdoor gatherings at 100 people.
With the reduction in risk level, those recommendations are lifted. But Ketchikan’s emergency operations center says it must approve any gatherings of more than 500 people.
The change in risk level does not affect how school will resume this fall.
Community spread is one of 10 indicators tracked by local pandemic response officials to determine the Ketchikan’s alert level. Those monitor three main risk categories: the spread of COVID-19 in Ketchikan, local hospital capacity, and officials’ ability to trace and quarantine close contacts.
See more about the metrics underpinning the alert level at bit.ly/ktn-covid19-risk