December 17, 2020 by Austin McDaniel What jobs or volunteer opportunities are available? COVID-19 Response Jobs and Volunteer Opportunities Alaska is recruiting staff and volunteers for Alaska’s COVID-19 response. See below for a list of opportunities offered by the State of Alaska and University of Alaska to match your skills with the right opening. This list will be updated with new information as other opportunities become available, so please check back regularly! State of Alaska Employment: Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, emergency management specialists, project managers, informaticists, data analysts, administrative staff – all of these positions and more are essential to the ongoing COVID-19 response and recovery. Positions are posted as needed for both short-term and long-term non-permanent opportunities. Individuals are needed to perform functions such as case investigations, contact tracing, logistics, testing support, data entry, and other critical duties Visit Workplace Alaska to check on the most recent job postings, including for long term and permanent nurse positions and postings for other opportunities in Anchorage and Fairbanks but also other locations statewide. Search for “public health” in Workplace Alaska job postings to find the most current opportunities. Each position lists a point of contact for questions regarding that specific job opportunity. The State of Alaska is also hiring Contact Tracers with a variety of relevant backgrounds and skill sets to support the ongoing COVID-19 response. For these Contact Tracing positions, please check out offerings for Long Term Non-Permanent Health Program Associates, COVID Technician and Health Associates, Disease Intervention Specialists, and Public Health Nurses. These are full time positions. If you don’t see a job posting relevant to your skills, you may also respond to the COVID Technician and Health Associate posting to be considered for a variety of other positions to support program and projects related to the COVID-19 response. University of Alaska Anchorage Contact Tracing Employment: In partnership with the Alaska Division of Public Health, the UAA College of Health has been hiring licensed healthcare professionals and public health professionals to: serve as a contact tracer; supervise contact tracers; both serve and supervise contact tracers. These are primarily part-time positions that work remotely. UAA is currently focused on screening, training, and onboarding among a large number of individuals who have applied for employment and is not currently accepting new applicants. Please check back here for updated information, including how to apply when applications re-open. Rose International Contact Tracing Employment The Alaska Division of Public Health is partnering Rose International to engage additional contact tracers. Individuals with experience in health, public health, social work, and other interested individuals who are interested in full time, remote work can see job openings and apply at Rose International – Available Jobs (roseit.com). These opportunities are listed with a location of Anchorage, AK, but are also open to applicants from other locations. Volunteers – Licensed Healthcare Professionals: Licensed healthcare professionals who would like to volunteer their time and skills in service to disaster response, including pandemics, are encouraged to register online at Alaska Respond. Please click on the Register Now button to begin the registration process. Registering as a volunteer does not require you to respond to all situations. Upon successful completion of the registration process, you will be eligible to be called upon for potential response efforts. You will be able to choose whether the requirements of deployment fit your availability. Alaska Respond staff members will work with you to ensure your preparation for any mission. Licensed healthcare professionals can also contact their local public health center to volunteer locally for a specific event or function.
November 25, 2020 by Austin McDaniel Does my crew need to repeat testing and quarantine if we move to a different port for a new opener? If you are transiting from one Alaskan port to another, you must follow the guidelines in Section IV.c. of Appendix 02 to Health Order 05 – Critical Infrastructure. If you plan to remain at the destination port for less than 72 hours before returning to your port of embarkation, the entire crew will observe strict social distancing measures while in the temporary port, and may not disembark the vessel while in port for non-essential purposes. If you are going to remain in the vicinity of the destination port for longer than 72 hours (i.e., fishing then coming back to that port to sell catch or re-supply) your crewmembers should all receive a PCR test prior to commencing transit. Upon arrival at the destination port, your crew will need to observe strict social distancing measures for the first five days, and should not disembark the vessel for non-essential purposes.
November 25, 2020 by Austin McDaniel Do I need to re-sign my Acknowledgement Form, or can I use the one from last year? Yes, all vessel captains and set-net Site Managers need to sign a new Acknowledgement Form, which is now Appendix 04 to Health Order 05 – Critical Infrastructure, before selling any catch during 2021. Vessels participating in the fisheries that are currently underway in November and December of 2020 are recommended to sign their Appendix 04 as soon as possible, and register them with the processors or tenders that they sell catch to.
November 25, 2020 by Austin McDaniel Can small communities restrict my crew or vessel from traveling? No, they cannot prevent you from traveling, or require your crew to follow any testing or quarantine procedures that are in excess of the State Health Order. The communities may enact local Emergency Ordinances which include protective measures to mitigate potential introduction/spread of the virus and limit social mixing, such as requiring fisheries workers to stay masked and socially distant from community residents and limiting access and/or patronage hours to local facilities. Make sure you research the local Emergency Ordinances at your destination port, including the arrival procedures to take if you have a crewmember who is showing symptoms of COVID-19.
November 25, 2020 by Austin McDaniel Can Critical Infrastructure Workers continue to work after being exposed to someone who is positive for COVID-19? Workers on the production floor of a seafood processing plant or processing vessel are not permitted to work while under Close Contact Quarantine. Vessel captains, site managers and other employers are strongly cautioned against allowing crewmembers to continue to work while under quarantine after they have been exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 case. Employers should bear in mind that Close Contact Quarantine is different and more important than Entry Travel Quarantine, when it is not known whether or not someone has been exposed. The CDC guidance which allows CI workers who have been identified as close contacts to an infectious individual to continue working was intended to allow businesses to continue providing essential services like power, water and emergency healthcare. Allowing exposed individuals to continue work carries inherent risk, and should really be done as a last resort. When determining whether or not a Critical Infrastructure Worker is allowed to work during Close Contact Quarantine the following should be considered: 1. Is the close contact specifically critical to the operations? Individuals who can stay home should stay home. 2. If a close contact does have to work, could their responsibilities be temporarily changed in a way that reduces their contact with others? Is there a way to eliminate their contact with others who are higher risk (for example, older adults)? Close contacts who have to continue working should adhere to the following practices: Pre-Screen: Employers should measure the employee’s temperature and assess symptoms prior to them starting work. Ideally, temperature checks should happen before the individual enters the facility.Regular Monitoring: As long as the employee doesn’t have a fever or symptoms, they should self-monitor under the supervision of their employer’s occupational health program.Wear a Mask: The employee should wear a face mask at all times while in the workplace for 14 days after last exposure. Employers can issue facemasks or can approve employees’ supplied cloth face coverings in the event of shortages.Social Distance: The employee should maintain 6 feet and practice social distancing as work duties permit in the workplace.Disinfect and Clean work spaces: Clean and disinfect all areas such as offices, bathrooms, common areas, shared electronic equipment routinely.Close contacts who must continue working are still under quarantine outside their working hours.A negative test result will not shorten the duration of Close Contact Quarantine. Additional guidance is provided here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/critical-workers/implementing-safety-practices.html If you have any questions, please call the Alaska Section of Epidemiology at 907-269-8000.