June 27, 2020 - 3:17 PM
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Health officials in Alaska have urged anyone who went to two Seward businesses to take a COVID-19 test after potentially being exposed to the coronavirus.
The state Department of Health and Social Services has said visitors and employees who were at the Seward Alehouse and Yukon Bar last week should get tested, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
“One of our staff members has unfortunately tested positive for COVID-19,” the Seward Alehouse said Friday on Facebook. “They are currently quarantined, resting, and on track towards a healthy recovery.”
People who visited the restaurant between Sunday and Tuesday from 7 p.m. to midnight should get tested, officials said.
Anyone who visited the Yukon Bar at any time on Tuesday should also get tested after the bar closed pending testing of all employees, the Yukon Bar said Thursday on Facebook.
"The Public Health Department defines two or more cases as an ‘outbreak.’ While this term may sound frightening, Seward residents can rest assured that response measures are in place,” the city said in an alert Friday.
Both establishments temporarily closed as a precautionary measure, city officials said. Several other downtown Seward businesses also closed.
The Seward Community Health Center is hosting testing 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But for some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020