The city of Seward became the center of Alaska’s two largest coronavirus outbreaks on Wednesday, with a factory carryover and a local seafood processing plant where a combined total of 181 people tested positive.
The American Seafoods ship carrying 85 infected crew arrived in Seward from Unalaska on Wednesday afternoon.
After the 286-foot American Triumph docked at the Seward cruise pier, the crew disembarked and the drivers took them to the waiting buses, which were wearing ventilated PPE suits. A handful of onlookers passed by as the crew disembarked, some with binoculars. They were brought to Anchorage.
Also Wednesday, 96 fish product workers at the OBI Seafoods processing plant in Seward, which employs 262 people, tested positive for the new coronavirus, prompting the temporary closure of the plant, city officials said.
The cases included 85 nonresident employees and 11 residents, according to a presentation by Alaska State Medical Doctor Dr. Anne Zink at a community briefing on Wednesday.
The OBI outbreak is the latest to hit the fishing industry in Alaska, occurring just days after the 85 crew members aboard the American Triumph tested positive for the virus, and more than 40 were infected at a plant operated by a Juneau fish processor.
So far, the fishing industry has remained relatively unscathed despite concerns earlier this year about the influx of out-of-state workers and the potential for outbreaks indoors, on ships and in processing plants that could overwhelm the fragile system. state health.
In response, 11 fishing companies released a letter to communities “to confirm our commitment that we are prioritizing the health and safety” of local residents, detailing their COVID-19 mitigation plans.
With the exception of a few smaller outbreaks in Dillingham and Whittier, the companies’ security plans appear to be mostly effective.
From Seward, the ship’s infected crew and plant were on their way to Anchorage for isolation or quarantine, authorities said. It is unclear where the workers will stay while in town.
The sudden influx of infected people raised municipal concerns about the capacity of the Anchorage hospital. The company and public officials have declined to say how many, if any, of the fishworkers show symptoms of the virus.
But the possibility that some would get sick enough to need medical attention was a factor in Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz’s decision to issue new restrictions on bars and restaurants on Wednesday.
Berkowitz said in a briefing that the new restrictions stemmed in part from Anchorage’s role in providing health care to “most of the state,” including infected shellfish workers, as well as residents of rural communities who depend on hospitals. from Anchorage.
“When we look at the hundreds of cases that come in from seafood workers, that will put a strain on our ability to provide capacity to people in Anchorage,” he said. “And so we are looking at the numbers not only within Anchorage, we are seeing what is happening outside the community.”
The crew disembarked from the American Triumph and boarded buses in Seward on Wednesday, July 22, 2020. American Seafoods, which operates the trawling factory, reported over the weekend that 85 crew members tested positive for COVID-19. The crew disembarked at Seward and will be transported to Anchorage, where they will be isolated for further attention. (Loren Holmes / DNA)
American Triumph crew members are bused from Seward to Anchorage on Wednesday July 22, 2020. American Seafoods, which operates the trawling factory, reported over the weekend that 85 crew members tested positive for COVID. -19. The crew disembarked at Seward and will be transported to Anchorage, where they will be isolated for further attention. (Loren Holmes / DNA)
The American Triumph docks in Seward on Wednesday July 22, 2020. American Seafoods, which operates the trawling factory, reported over the weekend that 85 crew members tested positive for COVID-19. The crew disembarked at Seward and will be transported in a private bus to Anchorage, where they will be isolated for further attention. (Loren Holmes / DNA)
The OBI Seafood Processing Plant in Seward, photographed on Wednesday July 22, 2020. (Loren Holmes / DNA)
OBI Seafoods LLC was formed in June, the result of a merger between major processors Ocean Beauty Seafoods and Icicle Seafoods, and includes five coastal locations in Alaska.
Earlier this summer, outbreaks were confirmed at two other OBI Seafoods plant location in Dillingham, where 12 workers tested positive, and at the company’s Excursion Inlet salmon processing plant in Southeast Alaska, where three employees They also tested positive in late June.
The company has said it has extensive security protocols in place to prevent an outbreak like this: All employees upon arrival in Alaska must be quarantined for 14 days, and then tested a second time, the company said in a statement. All OBI employees also go through symptom and temperature checks every day, according to the company.
But closed spaces and long hours of work at fish processing plants can make social distancing difficult.
The American Triumph docks in Seward on Wednesday July 22, 2020. American Seafoods, which operates the trawling factory, reported over the weekend that 85 crew members tested positive for COVID-19. The crew disembarked at Seward and will be transported in a private bus to Anchorage, where they will be isolated for further attention. (Loren Holmes / DNA)
The crew disembarked from the American Triumph and boarded buses in Seward on Wednesday, July 22, 2020. American Seafoods, which operates the trawling factory, reported over the weekend that 85 crew members tested positive for COVID-19. The crew disembarked at Seward and will be transported to Anchorage, where they will be isolated for further attention. (Loren Holmes / DNA)
Annie Berman reported from Anchorage and Loren Holmes from Seward.
