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Central peninsula schools might go remote as coronavirus case rates climb

Courtesy of KPBSD

Coronavirus rates are quickly worsening in Alaska. Schools on the central peninsula might suspend in-person classes as a result.

Today, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District issued an “advance warning” that central peninsula schools will shift to 100 percent remote learning as of Monday, Oct. 19 if case counts continue to rise in the region. Schools would remain remote for at least a week.

The memo said an update will be provided later this week.

The state reported 232 new cases Friday and 249 Sunday, for a total of 481 new cases statewide this weekend. Nine of those cases are Kenai, five in Soldotna and Seward, four in Homer and three in Sterling.

An additional 197 new cases were reported today, including one case in Kenai.

The current statewide alert level is high, according to the Department of Health and Social Services, at 20.57 cases per 100,000 people.

By the KPBSD's metrics, the central peninsula was in the lower end of the “medium risk” category late last week. Now, it’s on the higher end of that scale, with 47 total cases.

If it veers into “high,” it will join the eastern peninsula, where four schools shuttered to in-person classes last week. The southern peninsula is still in the “low” region, but is approaching the “medium” zone.

Sabine Poux is a producer and reporter for the Brave Little State podcast of Vermont Public. She was formerly news director and evening news host at KDLL in Kenai.

Originally from New York, Sabine has lived and reported in Argentina and Vermont and Kenai.
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