ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC FACILITIES: Positive COVID-19 Test in Alaska Associated with Cargo Flight

By Press release submission

Mar 16, 2020

Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities issued the following announcement on March 12.

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) was notified that an individual associated with an ANC cargo flight tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The patient is a foreign national who developed a fever and respiratory symptoms shortly after arriving in Anchorage March 11. The patient immediately contacted their physician and then went to Alaska Regional Hospital for testing.

Cargo flights to ANC strictly adhere to guidelines set out by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Cargo flights are completely separate from any passenger flights at ANC. Cargo crewmembers never come into contact with general passengers and they do not access the main terminal. Cargo crewmembers are cleared through U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at ANC’s North Terminal.

Cargo is not considered a health risk according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Currently there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with imported goods and there have not been any cases of COVID-19 in the United States associated with imported goods. Information will be provided on the CDC’s 2019 Novel Coronavirus website as it becomes available.

ANC will send out notices if there is any new information or if circumstances change. To receive notices from ANC, sign up at govdelivery.com/accounts/AKDOT/subscriber/ , and select Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

DHSS will notify the media and post on social media with important updates. For the latest information from Alaska, visit coronavirus.alaska.gov and check cdc.gov for national updates. To sign up for DHSS press releases and newsletters, visit here .

For health related questions, contact Clinton Bennett, DHSS at (907) 269-4996 or clinton.bennett@alaska.gov

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities oversees 239 airports, 10 ferries serving 35 communities, more than 5,600 miles of highway and 776 public facilities throughout the state of Alaska. The mission of the department is to “Keep Alaska Moving through service and infrastructure.”

Original source can be found here.