With a growing number of COVID-19 cases in the community - 36 between Thursday and Wednesday morning - Petersburg officials have elevated the community risk level to red.
The number of active cases are the most in Petersburg since the pandemic started a year ago.
"The cumulative total of cases is growing larger by the day," the Petersburg emergency operation center said in a statement at 4 p.m. Tuesday. "Many of these cases are still under investigation and contract tracing is difficult."
The cases are "predominantly community spread," the statement said.
"Community spread of the virus must be stopped by individual accountability and protective actions within the community," said Tuesday's joint statement by the borough and Petersburg Medical Center.
The Petersburg School District announced Monday it would go to online learning only for Tuesday and Wednesday, with a decision pending for the rest of the week.
Recent numbers were much lower in Wrangell, where two new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed Feb. 17. According to the city, the cases are Wrangell residents who recently traveled together out of state. Both came up positive in travel-related testing, according to the city, and have been in quarantine since arriving in town.
The two are the only active COVID-19 cases in Wrangell, the city reported.
Under Petersburg's red, or high, community risk level, the borough asks that people strictly follow the local face-masking mandate, as well as maintain social distancing and frequent hand washing.
Petersburg's emergency operation center recommended all businesses and municipal buildings close to walk-in traffic while the community is at a high-risk level of COVID-19 transmission. The recommendations are not mandates, and will be in effect for at least seven days.
Among those who tested positive for the Coronavirus were two Petersburg Medical Center employees and a staff member at Rae C. Stedman Elementary School.
Over the weekend, the elementary school notified students and staff who had come into close contact with the infected staff member, Principal Heather Conn wrote in an email to families.
Two positive cases of COVID-19 were identified last Friday within the same Petersburg household, according to the joint press release. One of the household members had traveled within the past two weeks and the infection is thought to be travel related.
Three more residents tested positive for the virus on Saturday; four on Sunday; 10 on Monday; and seven as of 3 p.m. Tuesday.
All residents who tested positive are in isolation.
"The important point of getting these counts out to the community is to inform citizens of the growing outbreak and the increased exposure that accompanies a community spread outbreak," the emergency operation center statement said.
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