ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Attention is back on air cargo flights following Thursday’s announcement of Alaska’s first confirmed COVID-19 case.
A spokesperson for Governor Mike Dunleavy confirmed the man, identified as a foreign national, was traveling through Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) on a private cargo plane. The patient will spend two weeks in quarantine in Anchorage.
Channel 2 is awaiting answers from the governor’s office on multiple requests for clarification on whether the plane came from Asia, whether the patient was part of a larger crew, and whether the remainder of the crew was tested or quarantined.
The Department of Transportation, which operates ANC, sent out a press release late Thursday night. DOT confirms the patient arrived in Anchorage March 11 and, following established protocols, contacted a physician before going 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,” DOT spokesperson Trudy Wassel wrote. “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.”
Wassel said cargo crew members are cleared through U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at the airport’s north terminal.
In early February Channel 2 reported on health protocols air cargo flight crews were following in the midst of coronavirus concerns.
UPS is among the many carriers with Anchorage-to-China routes. In February a UPS spokesperson said the company was providing masks and hand sanitizer to crews operating in China, and was requiring crew members wash their hands regularly. They were also following FAA and CDC guidelines limiting cargo crew’s interactions with the general public during layovers.
UPS confirmed Friday they’re following the same protocols in light of Alaska’s first positive coronavirus case. UPS was quick to confirm the patient does not work for the company, and there’s no indication any UPS employee interacted with the patient.
“Meanwhile, we continue to provide all UPS staff with advice on how to help prevent contracting infectious diseases and what to do should they exhibit any symptoms,” UPS spokesperson Jim Mayer wrote Friday. “If any employee experiences symptoms such as fever or respiratory infection, they are required to seek medical treatment immediately.”
DOT confirms the airport is following these same screening protocols for air cargo personnel in the wake of Alaska’s first coronavirus case. Wassel says the rest of the crew followed those protocols, but she was fairly certain they have already left Alaska.
She could not confirm the airline that transported the COVID-19 patient.
Cargo is not considered a health risk, according to the CDC, and there is currently no evidence linking COVID-19 transmission to imported goods in the U.S.
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