COVID FAQs
A. How will the company keep me safe from COVID-19?
We have developed a Covid-19 Pandemic Action Plan in consultation with the State of Alaska and Beacon Health OHSS.
1) Beacon Health has extensive experience providing medical services to employers with operations in remote Alaska. https://www.beaconohss.com/services/remote-medical/
2) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): all employees are required to wear company provided face coverings in the seafood processing area. A face covering must be worn in common areas as well, but in this case you may wear your own. We will all wear PPE despite a negative PCR test result as an added measure to protect your safety.
3) Camp Sanitation: the company has enhanced sanitation protocols to include frequent sanitation of all common areas and high contact surfaces.
4) Social distancing: the company has enacted a social distancing policy that requires all employees to maintain an adequate distance from each other to prevent the spread. Measures include staggered meal times, limited seating in the mess hall, physical dividers on mess hall tables, and staggered shifts.
5) Testing: PCR testing of seafood processing workers is a requirement in the State of Alaska per Health Mandate 10 and we are complying fully with this protocol. Per Mandate 10, the company is requiring that all employees complete a high sensitivity polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to detect the presence of Covid-19 prior to departure to Alaska and/or on arrival at the work site in Alaska. The State of Alaska mandate also requires two additional PCR tests while on-site in Alaska: one after being on site for six days, and another after twelve days.
6) Screening: Screening for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 will occur prior to departure to Alaska, on arrival at the work site in Alaska, and daily prior to the start of shift or during quarantine.
7) Communication: All employees will trained on proper COVID-19 protocols including hygiene, social distancing, proper use of PPE, and identification of sign and symptoms of COVID-19.
8) Closed Campus: Our site will be closed to outside visitors and all employees will be required to stay on the company property at all times. This ensures that you are kept safe from the possibility of infection being introduced from the community and from visitors arriving from outside of the area. Any employee leaving the property will be subject to immediate termination.
8) Dismissal: Employees who refuse to follow protocols may have their employment terminated. Employees who refuse to be tested will not travel to Alaska or will be dismissed and sent home.
B. What medical care is available Naknek?
Camai Community Health Center in Naknek will have seven providers on staff this year (two more than usual) and is currently installing a field medical unit consisting of nineteen beds to be used as an isolation unit for non-emergency COVID-19 patients. Additionally, Camia Clinic is installing an ER unit to specifically treat COVID-19 positive patients.
In the event of a COVID-19 outbreak, Samaritan’s Purse has agreed to deploy a 30 bed medical unit at the King Salmon Airforce base. This medical facility can be deployed in 48 hours or less.
The company has also contracted with Beacon Health OHSS to provide a Physician’s Assistant (PA) on site in Naknek as well as medical oversight by their Medical Director in Anchorage. In the event that emergency medical care becomes necessary, employees will be flow to Anchorage.