Governor Mike Dunleavy tested positive for COVID-19 and has mild symptoms, his office said on Wednesday.
Dunleavy’s office said earlier that he came into close contact with a COVID-positive person on Saturday and would quarantine his home as a precaution.
“As the governor was quarantined during his infectious period, there are no known close contacts at this time,” the governor’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.
Dunleavy turned negative for COVID on Sunday, but started to feel bad Tuesday night, his office said. He took another test on Wednesday morning and tested positive, his office said.
Alaska Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink and the governor’s assistant physician are monitoring him and will provide updates as needed, the governor’s office said in its statement.
Dunleavy personally attended the annual Alaska Outdoor Council banquet on Saturday in Palmer. The organization’s executive director, Caleb Martin, said he contacted the governor’s office and was informed that close contact did not occur during the event. He said he was unaware of the presence of someone hiring COVID-19.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Alaska has been falling, but a rare case of a highly contagious variant of COVID-19 originally detected in Brazil was identified this month.
Public health authorities continue to recommend that Alaskans avoid indoor meetings with people who are not family members, avoid crowds, wear masks when they are close to unfamiliar people, and stay 1.8 meters away from anyone other than your home.
Dunleavy has not yet been vaccinated with COVID-19. At 59, he was not eligible for the first level of vaccinations, but he may be eligible now under provisions that allow essential workers to receive the vaccine. Asked about his vaccination status on Monday, a spokesman for the governor said he would get the vaccine when his turn came.
More than one in four Alaskan adults received at least one injection of COVID-19 vaccination, according to data from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.
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