The borough again this summer will use federal funds to cover the cost of COVID-19 testing for Sea Level Seafoods employees.
The borough assembly voted 4-3 at its May 25 meeting to appropriate up to $70,000 in federal funds to pay for testing this year. Testing last year cost the borough about $22,000.
“Administration is requesting an amount more than triple last year’s expenditure because it is our understanding Sea Level would like to institute a far more robust testing regime than last year,” Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen briefed the assembly.
“They would like to test 40 employees every 14 days for five months. At a cost of $175 per test, the amount is $70,000,” Von Bargen explained.
In addition, Sea Level plans to test its out-of-town workers when they arrive in Wrangell, and twice more during their mandatory 14-day quarantine, Robert Hancock Jr., office manager at Sea Level, said last week.
As of last week, most of the seafood processor’s workers were from Wrangell, Hancock said, though he expects more out-of-town workers to arrive later this month as crab and salmon harvests come into the plant.
The company will cover all the costs of housing, food and wages during the quarantine, he said.
“Our plan is to continue quarantines and COVID testing in accordance with health advisories or orders, and your guidance,” Hancock said in a May 18 letter to the borough. “We are hoping it might be possible for the borough help again this season with costs of COVID testing for the processing facility, while we absorb the costs of quarantine and other COVID costs.”
Von Bargen advised the assembly that Seward is covering the cost of employee testing for the processor in its community, Pacific Seafood, which operates as Sea Level in Wrangell.
Pacific Seafood does not require its employees get vaccinated against COVID-19, Hancock said.
Wrangell has not used its federal or state pandemic aid to pay for employee testing at any other business — no one has asked, said Jamie Roberts, deputy emergency operations center manager for the borough.
The borough has talked with charter boat and tour operators about paying for testing of their employees, but was told it wasn’t necessary. “They pretty much said we’re going to go out to the airport,” where free tests already are offered twice a day, seven days a week, Roberts said.
The state has a contract with the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium to provide free tests morning and
afternoon, when the Alaska Airlines flight arrives, and anyone can go to the
airport for testing during those times.
“Nobody should have to pay for any testing out of pocket,” Roberts said.
The state’s contract with SEARHC ends June 30, and the borough will look at whether it wants to continue the service if the state does not renew. “We’re waiting for the state to make its move,” Roberts said.
Voting yes for the Sea Level testing money were assembly members Terry Courson,
Anne Morrison, Ryan Howe and Patty Gilbert. Voting against the funds were members David Powell, Bob Dalrymple and Mayor Steve Prysunka.
“I am not pleased we went over a year to receive a thank you” for last year’s funding, Prysunka said at the meeting.
Hancock last week said staff changes were to blame. “It fell through the cracks.”
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