Kake is now experiencing one of its biggest outbreaks of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, with 32 active cases reported as of today/Friday, March 11. The outbreak comes after multiple Kake high school basketball teams as well as their family and fans traveled to compete in the 1A regional tournament at the beginning of the month.
The Kake Thunderbirds traveled to Juneau for the small schools regional basketball tournament March 2-5 at Thunder Mountain high school, where community members are suspected of catching the virus . Thunder Mountain’s activities director, Luke Adams, told KCAW that masks were mandatory for spectators and non-playing team members, but optional for players on the court.
In a call with KCAW, Kake superintendent, Rich Catahay says the teams, as well as accompanying fans and family members followed masking protocol and were diligent about testing before and after the tournament. Catahay says the city made sure to report the positive cases to the Alaska School Activities Association.
The city is offering antigen tests to those who believe they’ve been exposed or are experiencing symptoms, as well as preventive measures for the elderly and immunocompromised.
The next booster and children’s vaccine clinic will take place April 1.
All Kake city schools are currently implementing remote learning and will continue to do so through next week.
KCAW also reached out to the Alaska School Activities Association for comment. Basketball director Isaiah Vreeman responded in an email that ASAA (ah-saw) was unaware of the outbreak, but since the state 1A tournament was more than 10 days away, “this might not be an issue.”
The state 1A/2A tournament will be held March 16-19 in Anchorage at the Alaska Airlines Center and the UAA Seawolf Sports complex.
This article was edited on Monday March 14 at 11:06
Tash Kimmell is a Report for America Corps Member
