TRIBAL COUNCILS SET QUARANTINE
The Village of Grayling, population about 200, has issued a travel ban for everyone in the village, prohibiting all inter-village travel. For those leaving the village, they will not be able to return for at least 30 days and they will need to provide a proof of screening for COVID-19.
Other villages in rural Alaska are issuing similar lockdowns, although Grayling’s tribal council may be the most stringent. Grayling is represented by Senator Lyman Hoffman and Rep. Tiffany Zulkosky.
Must Read Alaska has learned that Kalskag has also closed its doors as has Scammon Bay. Some 700 people are affected between those two communities. On Monday, Holy Cross is planning to quarantine its 150 residents, according to MRAK sources.
Such tribal rules are not always applied equally in communities among the various Native and non-Native residents. It’s unclear how mail and health care will be delivered to these communities and how their fragile water systems that require constant monitoring will be maintained if there is a breakdown and workers cannot be flown in.
