Alaska Village Bans Visitors As Precaution Considering Coronavirus Spread

The coronavirus has triggered deja vu in an Alaskan community whose families were devastated by the Spanish Flu, which wiped out the population of some of the villages.

Taking a cue from the measures placed during the flu outbreak that took place between 1918 and 1919, the village of Grayling on the Yukon has opted to ban all visitors. It is also mandating that anyone that leaves during the outbreak should be quarantined for 30 days.

During the time, the flu outbreak was spread via mail carrier and traders to the remote villages, hence the reason it infected so many and had such a casualty rate.

Other villages have taken steps through the banning of flights apart from the case of medical emergencies.

The coastal village of Shaktoolik, for example, has had its normal sled dog musher checkpoints for the Iditarod dog sled race moved away. The residents feared the influx of outsiders that may have the coronavirus.

They are right to worry, considering researchers determined that the Spanish Flu killed all but six of the Shaktoolik villagers.

The United States has reported almost 45,000 cases of coronavirus, and the national casualty rate was at 600 by Tuesday. Alaska, though, has not reported any deaths.

Several of the Alaska villagers may only be reached through snow-machine or aircraft during the winter or a barge during the summer.

Limiting their connections with the outside world considering their past experiences only seemed like the logical thing to do.

However, few of the villages have comprehensive medical care meaning that anyone who becomes sick has to be flown to a bigger city for treatment.

Regular cargo flights are needed for keeping the residents supplied with the right amount of household items, such as food and toiletries.

Currently, the quarantine and shelter in place orders are gradually spreading over the entire country. The residents of Anchorage, for one, have been ordered to hunker down in a bid to slow down the virus’s spread.

Though the state is seen as relatively remote, the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport happens to be the fourth busiest air cargo airport in the world.

Every day several cargo planes from Asia land in Anchorage for refueling and swapping out the crews. So it does present a real threat concerning coronavirus infection rates. The decision to lockdown has been predicted as well for several other major cities such as New York.