Watt counsels staying on heightened alert for spread of COVID-19

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Friday, November 20th, 2020 11:43am

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CBJ Manager Rorie Watt

Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - The City and Borough of Juneau like government entities across the nation continue to battle the spread of the coronavirus.

City Manager Rorie Watt was asked on Action Line how worrisome the situation is to him in Juneau at this point.   "I think we're always on the cusp of bad things.  We keep working through big issues.   We had our unsheltered population.  We had a couple of big clusters that we've worked through, but the numbers keep coming in so they're not going down.  I think the case counts in Juneau were stable.  They're a little higher than we like."

Watt said he's worried about Anchorage in the Kenai and Mat Su Borough.  "Their numbers are high and their test rates are high.  We're closely connected through a lot of airline traffic with them.

The city manager said he wouldn't say he's worried but believes residents should be really concerned and on heightened alert.  

Watt had this warning about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.  "Big group settings.  Planning a big Thanksgiving.  Wrong thing!"

Watt believes the town has been good with wearing masks and large gatherings and he wants to see those practices continue.

A resolution up for action at Monday night's regular Assembly meeting calls for extending the local emergency declaration in response to the pandemic.

 

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