Northwest

Northern and Northwest Alaska now have the highest case rates in the state.

Local residents told KNOM they worry that the virus is spreading more easily because of the number of people living in overcrowded homes with their extended families.

All three of the schools in Kotzebue, and three Northwest Arctic village schools, will need to conduct school remotely.

Right now, according to NPD’s Evidence Custodian Paul Kosto, the state lab is taking about a year to process kits.

The village tribal president says the individual and their family are in medical isolation, and the local school will be entirely remote.

“You’re going into the region to the land where people own,” said assembly member Walter Sampson. “And we expect companies to make sure that they take their word to make sure that regional employees are the number one in this region to be hired.”

Searchers go out every day to look for Okpealuk, and the community held a prayer vigil Sept. 12th at Old St. Joseph’s park.

Maniilaq officials say six of the residents are showing symptoms of the virus, and all of them are medically isolated in Buckland.

Red Dog suspended outbound travel from the mine to regional communities on Sept. 16.

Law enforcement began searching for Florence Okpealuk last week, and a community-wide search began Saturday. Some women from Nome and Teller don’t think that response was fast enough.