CASE COUNT

City of Cordova COVID-19 Confirmed Positive Case Count: 0

NEW ORDINANCES

Ordinance 1185 was passed by Council at today’s Special Meeting, putting forth enforcement measures to support all Cordova orders associated with this emergency. According to this ordinance, failure to comply with an emergency mandate adopted under the City of Cordova’s state of emergency is punishable by a fine of up to $500. per violation. Upon citation under this section, court appearance is mandatory. This order goes into effect immediately. Violations of the city mandate may be reported to Cordova Police Department.

Ordinance 1187 was passed by Council at today’s Special Meeting, ratifying revisions to temporary emergency rules and procedures in Emergency Order 2020-3. The changes to this order include: new timelines and requirements for businesses submitting “COVID-19 Protective Measures and Policies”; updates to social distancing protocols and submission processes for Mutual Aid Agreements; and new items requiring businesses to report state submissions to the City, regarding cooperative measures between the City and the Native Village of Eyak, and concerning enforcement. A draft of the updated order is available to view on the City’s website as part of the April 13 meeting packet.

Ordinance 1186 which would have imposed a temporary hold on all travel by air into the City of Cordova failed to pass at today’s City Council Special Meeting. See Update to Small Community Emergency Travel Order below.

TESTING IN CORDOVA

As of 4/13/2020 there have been thirteen COVID-19 tests conducted in Cordova, with zero positive results, with one test awaiting results. Local healthcare providers have the capability to test approximately 300 people in Cordova at this time. Your local healthcare provider will order testing. The type of testing you receive will be based upon the severity of your illness in accordance with the State of Alaska Department of Health and CDC guidelines. Please call your healthcare provider if you have any nausea, diarrhea and/or cold like symptoms that have not resolved in 3 days. Additional testing supplies have been requested. While testing is an important tool in stopping the spread of coronavirus, your Cordova Medical Response Team would like to reiterate that social distancing is still the number one method for containing the spread of COVID19.

Medical Information Sharing: We understand the concern from some in the community regarding the recent EMS response in the harbor, but we must all respect patient privacy. Please take a moment to consider how you or your loved one would feel in a similar situation. We want to make sure it is clear to the community that first responders have begun to and will continue to wear additional personal protective equipment (PPE) for calls in these uncertain times. The information that can be shared regarding medical and EMS cases is extremely limited due to the patient privacy provisions of HIPAA. The City IMT, City Council, and all EMS and medical crews will be following all state and federally mandated protocols protecting patient privacy in these matters to the best of their ability. As we have said before, if any COVID-19 case is confirmed in Cordova, the public will be alerted as soon as possible. We thank you for your understanding.

UPDATE TO SMALL COMMUNITY TRAVEL ORDER

The State of Alaska released an update to its Alaska Small Community Emergency Travel Order (Mandate 12, Attachment B) in which it states, “the order is applicable to Alaskan communities that are removed from the road system, have a population smaller than 3,000 as of the effective date of this order, and do not house a Critical Access Hospital, Sole Community Hospital or Acute Care Hospital (“Small Community”).” According to this update, because Cordova Community Medical Center (CCMC) is considered a Critical Access Hospital, at this time Cordova is not eligible to impose stricter travel protocols than the State of Alaska has imposed.

KEEPING CORDOVA INFORMED

• New User-Friendly Cordova COVID-19 Website: The City of Cordova has enlisted the help of a web designer to create a new webpage for Cordova COVID-19 information with the goal of providing more information that is easier for the public to find to access. We hope to launch the new site very soon!
• Translations: The Cordova IMT Public Information Team has begun efforts to translate all official posted signage and daily releases to both Spanish and Tagalog. The PIO team also plans to work with processors to ensure that translations of key information is available in all needed languages to keep their staff informed of COVID-19 mandates, guidelines and developments.
• Radio Updates & FAQ: Members of the City of Cordova COVID-19 Incident Management Team are hosting regular COVID-19 Radio updates on KCDV-FM 100.9 and KLAM-AM 1450. The programs include frequently asked questions and answers; as well as pertinent local, state and federal updates on COVID19 status and planning. Tune in on the radio or listen to archived radio updates are at youtube.com/cordovatv.
• Weekly News Briefings: The City of Cordova’s COVID-19 Incident Management Team will continue to host Press Briefings at 4 p.m. each Friday, streamed live and available in the archive afterward at youtube.com/c/cityofcordovaalaska.
• Infographics: The City of Cordova’s COVID-19 Public Information Team has developing a series of topical infographics, which are graphic visual representations of information, data, and knowledge intended to present information quickly and clearly. These will be released to the public and targeted user groups as they are produced, and we invite the community to share them.

CITY FACILITY CLOSURES

• NEW All public playgrounds in Cordova are closed, effective immediately.
• NEW Odiak Camper Park
• Cordova School District
• Cordova Public Library
• Cordova Historical Museum & Gallery
• Bidarki Recreation Center
• Bob Korn Memorial Pool
• DMV – available by appointment only 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Tuesday – Thursday until further notice. Only one person will be permitted in the DMV office at a time. Please call (907) 424-6125 to schedule your appointment.
• City Hall – available by appointment only 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday starting Thursday March 19, 2020 until further notice. Utility payments may be dropped off in the drop box located near the exit of the upper parking lot. You may also contact the Finance Department regarding other matters at finance2@cityofcordova.net and finance3@citofcordova.net. Please call (907) 424-6200 to schedule your appointment.
• Harbor – Beginning Friday, March 20, the Harbor office will be closed to walk-ins. Payments can be made by mail or by phone 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday. Appointments can be made to purchase shower tokens in bulk. Shipyard services are also by appointment. Starting March 20, 2020, the Harbor Department will not be accepting mail or packages. If you have mail or packages being delivered to the Harbor Office, please make other arrangements.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Please consult these resources for information:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – coronavirus.gov
• State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) – coronavirus.alaska.gov
• Dial 211 – The State of Alaska information line for non-clinical questions
• City of Cordova – cityofcordova.net

The Incident Management Team, which collaborates with our medical professionals and emergency management teams around the state, feel that the curve has been flatter in Alaska and virus incidence has been fairly low because of the social distancing and other steps that the tribes, governments, businesses, organizations and individuals have put in place to protect themselves and their communities. We cannot emphasize enough how critical it is to continue these practices. Let’s do our part and practice the CDC guidance to keep Cordova free of COVID-19 for as long as possible. Please take every precaution to care for yourself and loved ones. Updates will be posted regularly on the Cordova Prepared page of the City of Cordova website and Facebook.com/groups/cordovaprepared. General local questions can be directed to cordovaprepared@yahoo.com.