Increasing COVID-19 cases across the Kenai Peninsula have forced several schools in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District to institute universal masking. According to the COVID-19 data dashboard through the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, all three regions of the Peninsula are listed in the high (red) category.
Testing at school and reports to the school nurse between August 23 and August 30 have revealed about 130 positive student and staff COVID cases. There were an additional 930 from both contact tracing in school, and reports from staff or students who were identified from other interactions outside of school.
Pegge Erkeneff, Director of Communications, Community and Government Relations for the KPBSD said:
“As far as universal face coverings being required, we did move to that for Seward Elementary on Monday based on what was happening in the Seward area community as well as at the school. What that means is if we have universal masking in place at a school and students are identified as a close contact to a positive student, they don’t need to quarantine if they’re both wearing a face covering. That’s in place now at Seward Elementary, at Susan B. English School in Seldovia, at Port Graham School and also at Tebughna School. Starting on Wednesday, universal masking will also be in place at Seward Middle School, Seward High School and Moose Pass School. The Seward schools will only be in universal masking through September 10th on Friday when it will be reevaluated what’s happening in the community with community spread and what we’re seeing in school. This isn’t a permanent action at this time and it will be reevaluated.”
Erkeneff spoke on what people can do:
“If you don’t feel well at all, even a simple symptom, get a test and stay home. Don’t go to work. Don’t go to school. We also know there’s a bad cold that’s going around right now, too. That’s making it difficult to know is this COVID or if this is a cold. One layer that’s important is if you have any symptoms of feeling ill, just in case it’s COVID, don’t expose anybody else. We also know the symptoms are really mild and people don’t realize they are ill. It’s very contagious in the very first few days. That’s where we are seeing a lot of the close contacts happening from people that didn’t even know that they were sick.”
Since August 25, Nanwalek School has been operating in a remote instruction status in response to a “hunker down” order issued by the local community authority. Remote instruction will continue through September 7, 2021. All KPBSD schools plan to remain open to onsite learning for the entire 2021-2022 school year. Any necessary closures will be on a school, classroom, or cohort level.
