Updated 3/20/20

EOC Update

Haines, Alaska March 20, 2020 – The Haines Borough Emergency Operations Center (EOC) would like to outline a few details about our local response as it stands today. In this press release we will:

  • Clarify local testing protocol
  • Reassert the state’s travel protocol
  • Discuss grocery store supply in the upcoming weeks
  • Highlight the volunteer efforts happening
LOCAL TESTING PROTOCOL

The SEARHC Haines Health Center is providing COVID-19 testing as necessary. The testing site is located at the back of the clinic. It is manned by a SEARHC clinician in approved personal protection equipment (PPE), including mask, goggles, gloves, and gown. Patients can not show up at the testing site without an appointment. Please call the clinic at 766-6300 to discuss if you need testing. If a patient meets the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) approved guidelines, they will be scheduled for a drive-by appointment during regular business hours. Patients will be tested for influenza, and if negative for influenza, be administered a COVID-19 test.

CDC guidelines state that patients must be exhibiting symptoms of COVID 19 (fever and cough, or shortness of breath) and meet the current clinical criteria, including close contact with a confirmed case; travel outside of Alaska within 14 days; or determined to be a high-risk patient.

This same method of testing is being used in Sitka, Juneau, Wrangell and Klawock. There are approximately 1,300 specimen collection kits for COVID-19 available in the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium system with more arriving every day.

TRAVEL AND SELF-QUARANTINING PROTOCOL

The Haines EOC recognizes the current state mandate for travelers entering Alaska available here: https://tinyurl.com/vbc5ymc. All state health mandates regarding COVID-19 are available here: http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/Epi/id/Pages/COVID-19/default.aspx

While these precautions are mandated by the governor, many community members are taking additional precautions and we applaud these efforts. We support and encourage any and all efforts to practice safe distancing and self-quarantining in order to protect our community from the spread of COVID-19.

Every arriving passenger on the planes and ferries are now being handed a flyer with the state mandate for travelers and with information about resources in Haines.

GROCERY STORE SUPPLY

In the next week or two there will be a perception that groceries supplies are low. We have assurances that this situation is temporary. Because of several days of “panic buying” here and in the Lower 48, suppliers are backed-up with requests and were not able to fill all orders from every store. However, the local grocers are confident this is temporary and there is no cause for concern. We request you continue shopping normally and not horde products. The local grocery stores may implement limits on how many of certain items customers will be allowed to buy during the next week or two. Please consider your neighbors, especially those on fixed incomes, who cannot buy weeks’ worth of groceries at one time. Please also consider your risk level when shopping; the stores are less busy in the early morning hours. Those are times when elders may be more comfortable shopping because it will be easier to practice safe distancing from others.

VOLUNTEER EFFORTS

The Haines Support Chain Initiative kicked off on Thursday evening. This effort connects volunteers with those who may need, or choose to, practice self-quarantine and social distancing. Individuals and families may sign up for assistance with grocery shopping or delivery, medication or mail pick up, and many other types of errands. Volunteers are organized by neighborhoods and areas of the Chilkat Valley, including up the highway. You can find the Haines Support Chain Initiative at https://tinyurl.com/t8n3vez.

ABOUT THE HAINES EOC

The Haines Borough (“Borough”) is working diligently to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the community. The Emergency Operations Center has been meeting daily to update response protocols with the latest information from the CDC, State of Alaska and local health officials. The EOC team will continue to meet daily or as often as the situation warrants. The Borough will continue to provide daily updates no later than 3 pm and more often throughout the day if information significantly changes. All announcements will be posted on the Haines Borough website and the “Haines Borough COVID-19 Information Page at facebook.com/hainescovid19.

If you would like this information emailed to you,  please send your request and email address to the Borough Clerk (click here).

Update on Local Testing and EOC Operations

Haines, Alaska March 18 2020 – The Haines Borough Emergency Operations Center (EOC) would like to outline a few details about our local response as it stands today. In this press release we will address:

  • Testing protocol as it stands currently at the SEARHC Haines Health Center
  • The structure and goals of the local EOC
  • Current guidelines and recommendations
  • How information is disseminated to the community
TESTING PROTOCOL AS IT STANDS CURRENTLY AT THE SEARHC HAINES HEALTH CENTER:

The SEARHC clinic has staff stationed at the clinic entrance, screening visitors as they pass through the door. Visitors are being asked screening questions, in accordance with Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines.

If any of the answers to the questions raise concern, the visitor will be tested.

If patients call in for an appointment, they will be asked screening questions. Those that fit the specific testing criteria that come from the CDC will be tested.

The SEARHC clinic has protocols in place to keep staff healthy and safe. Be aware that Influenza B is circulating in the community at this time.

The Clinic is working closely with Haines Borough Volunteer Fire Department EMS staff have established protocol for ambulance protocols.

If a positive COVID-19 test is detected in a Haines patient the SEARHC health system and local EOC, who will put out a joint statement to the community as soon as possible. SEARHC protocol for responding to a confirmed case of COVID-19 is as follows:

  • If that patient has underlying health conditions that requires ongoing medical support, that patient will be medivaced to a hospital.
  • If the patient does not need medical support, they will be directed to self-quarantine at home.
THE STRUCTURE AND GOALS OF THE LOCAL EOC

The EOC was activated on Monday, March 16 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The EOC is built from community resources; it is not a political body. It is structured around five objectives:

  • Ensuring physical life and safety of residents
  • Containing the spread of the virus and steps of mitigation
  • Supporting first responders
  • Supporting medical staff and the local clinic
  • Keeping the public updated with timely and accurate information

In this structure, the Haines Borough Manager Debra Schnabel is the EOC commander who is responsible for the overall management of the group. Carolann Wooten is deputy commander. The following EOC Command Staff is:

  • Liaison Officer: Alekka Fullerton
  • Safety Officer: Scott Bradford
  • Information Officer: Margaret Friedenauer
  • Official Spokesperson: Haines Borough Mayor Jan Hill

Additionally, there are leaders coordinating Operations, Planning, Logistic and Finance sections. Some of these section chiefs are borough employees; others are community volunteers with expertise in their areas.

The EOC meets – using CDC recommended guidelines for social distancing – each day at 9 am and 1 pm with the goal of releasing an updated press release by 3 pm each day.

CURRENT GUIDELINES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The EOC has made one change to the guidelines and recommendations from yesterday. That change is mentioned below. The recommendations stand as follows:

On Tuesday, March 17, Haines Borough Mayor Jan Hill declared an emergency in the Haines Borough as allowed under AS 26.23.140

  • If you are aware of people planning to visit Haines in the next two weeks, please let them know the Borough recommends they postpone their travel to our community. This does not apply to people whose primary, year-round residence is Haines.
  • When returning to Haines FROM ANYWHERE OUTSIDE THE COMMUNITY we ask that you self-quarantine for 14 days.
  • Please cancel all non-essential meetings or gatherings or hold them via teleconference until further notice.
  • Practice social distancing at all times and in all public and private venues.
  • Follow all existing CDC protocols and the COVID-19 Health Mandate from the State of Alaska at https://gov.alaska.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/03172020-SOA-COVID-19-…

Additionally, as of 5 pm on March 18, Alaska Gov. Michael Dunleavy ordered all bars, breweries, restaurants, food and beverage kiosks or trucks and other establishment serving food or beverages within the state shall be closed to the public dine-in service. All buffets and salad bars are closed to self-service. All entertainment facilities shall be closed to the public, including theaters, gyms and fitness center, bowling alleys and bingo halls. Find the complete announcement from the state at https://gov.alaska.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/03172020-SOA-COVID-19-…

HOW INFORMATION IS DISSEMINATED TO THE COMMUNITY:

The EOC has started a special Facebook page titled “Haines Borough COVID 19 Information Page” at www.facebook.com/hainescovid19 to act as the central location for all official information. Updates will be posted there as they are generated; they will also be posted on the borough website and posted on the Nixel notification system. Haines Borough Mayor Jan Hill will be recording a message each day recapping any updates to air on KHNS-FM. That message will play each evening and the next morning.

General updates will become available by 3 pm each weekday. The EOC will release important or urgent information at different times if it becomes necessary, including weekends. Media is encouraged to contact EOC PIO Officer Margaret Friedenauer for any questions related to the community’s response.

If you would like this information emailed to you,  please send your request and email address to the Borough Clerk (click here).

To residents of the Haines Borough:

The Haines emergency response team met this morning, March 16 – as it will every morning through March 31 – to consider the most reasonable response to the COVID-19 threat.  Our decisions are fluid – we will assess our decisions daily and put notice out by 3 pm on various media including KHNS, our website and Facebook.

As of today, there are no known cases of COVID-19 in Haines or Skagway.  The only known case of COVID-19 in Alaska is in Anchorage. There are 103 known cases of COVID-19 in southern British Columbia and 769 confirmed cases in Seattle.

The Haines Borough has not yet declared a state of emergency in our area. If we do, it will be primarily to activate the response and recovery aspects of interjurisdictional disaster plans and authorize the furnishing of aid and assistance under those plans.

In keeping with the protocols adopted by other municipalities in our region, the Haines Borough is taking steps to minimize people congregating.  Quarantining people who have been in contact with the coronavirus, or possibly have been subject to it, and reducing the possibility of contact among people is the best preventative step we can take.  Therefore, as of Tuesday morning March 17 and until March 31, borough facilities will be managed as follows:

The Sheldon Museum and Cultural Center will be closed; staff will be responsive to calls.

The Swimming pool will be closed.

The Library will be open to patrons from 10 am until 2 pm.  Programs will be curtailed; no story time, no homework time, no meetings.

The Visitor Center will be closed.

The Chilkat Center will facilitate KHNS-FM only.  It will be closed to rentals, performances, meetings and events.

Borough offices including administration, police, fire and EMS will respond to calls and email; we discourage personal visits.  Use email for inquiries and our drop box for payments and applications.

Public meetings of Borough officials are limited to 10 people in attendance; scheduled meetings will be streamed.

These measures will be in effect through March 31 when the state of Alaska reassesses the threat of COVID-19.  We will monitor the local conditions and adjust accordingly.

We continue to ask you to self-sequester if you have recently returned from international or national travel within the past week.  We suggest two weeks of sequestering.

I’d like to assure you that the Borough has the best interests of the community at heart, and we appreciate your willingness to accept and adhere to our request that you remain safe!

 

MARCH 15th: To residents of the Haines Borough:

In response to Governor Dunleavy’s mandate to close all public schools in Alaska through March 30,  several municipalities including Juneau, Skagway and Sitka are likewise closing public facilities including pools, libraries, museums and Senior Centers effective Monday, March 16.

The Borough understands and accepts that the best action in facing the threat of COVID-19 is to remove the opportunity for people to congregate.  “Social Distancing” is the term used to describe the responsibility to leave a distance of 6 ft. between you and another person.  The intended purpose of closing public facilities is to encourage no contact; the underlying message of closures is to “Stay Home.”  We encourage you to do so.

The CDC recommends that communities take steps to protect their citizens based upon the transmission level, and to limit activities that encourage groups of people in spaces, as this is the most common method of transmission .  At this time the Borough thinks our current threat level warrants a phased and measured response. While at this time the Borough is not recommending complete closure of facilities the following steps have been implemented to limit exposure in group settings:  The library will reduce the number of computer stations to four, to allow for spacing while in use.  All programs (story-time, homework time, etc.) will be cancelled, the conference room will be closed and no public meetings will be allowed.  Cancellation of Open swims is under discussion at the pool.  The Chilkat Center will be open for business with KHNS, but the rentable rooms will be closed to groups greater than 10 persons; yoga classes have been cancelled. Our Senior Center has curtailed congregated lunch service by decision of Catholic Community Services.  Lunches will be delivered to those who are signed up to participate.  We will continue to stream public meetings including Assembly meetings, and consider venues large enough to allow attendees to practice social distancing.  Specifics will be outlined in future releases.

Our objective  in deciding if and when to close pubic facilities is to balance the need to address public health in face of the threat of COVID-19, but still provide a basic level of service to you.  Of course we expect you to be responsible for your own health, we expect businesses to make decisions about their business plans in keeping with the need to keep people safe, and we applaud those businesses that are making adjustments in their service delivery.

The Borough is monitoring updated information from the state and federal governments about the evolving threat. As of March 15 there was one confirmed case of COVID-19 in Alaska, and that individual is quarantined in Anchorage.  On Sunday afternoon, postings were made at our ports of entry:  airport, border station and ferry terminal, alerting visitors and people coming home to stay vigilant.

A core team will meet on Monday morning at 10 am to discuss the details of the developing Borough plan for addressing the COVID-19 threat to our community.  We are committed to putting an update of information out daily at 3 pm.  Notices will be posted to our website, our Facebook page, distributed by nixel, and KHNS-FM.

I am confident that the Borough’s Emergency Response Team of skilled staff and volunteers we have enlisted to advise and assist us will manage the situation to ensure safety in the delivery of borough services and suggested community behaviors.  If you have any concerns about how we are managing the situation, please let us know.    I appreciate and thank you for working together as a community during this stressful time.

Debra Schnabel