Pembroke area case leads to more vigilance

With a new active COVID-19 case identified in eastern coastal Washington County on June 18, area residents are taking extra precautions, Pembroke Elementary School staff are self-quarantining and the Sipayik tribal chief has ordered the testing of tribal government employees for the coronavirus. The only previous confirmed case in the county was listed as recovered back in May.
According to AOS 77 Superintendent Kenneth Johnson, the Pembroke School Department learned on June 18 that a member of the staff tested positive for COVID 19. The school department spoke with the staff member, notified the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) and engaged in contact tracing to determine who the employee may have had contact with. Although the staff member had minimal contact with the broader school community, the employee did attend an all staff workshop, which took place on June 8 and 9 in the Pembroke Elementary School, where appropriate social distancing guidelines were followed.
Johnson states, "The Pembroke School Department reached out to all staff who may have come into contact with the employee, and each of them has been advised to, and is, self quarantining for 14 days as a precautionary measure." He says that no other members of the staff have tested positive. The school has a staff of 25. Johnson adds, "We have also taken measures to ensure that the Pembroke Elementary School will be cleaned extensively prior to allowing staff back in the building."
So far the Calais Regional Hospital has collected samples for 163 tests since the pandemic began. There have been no positive cases, although seven test results are still pending. A total of 39 swabs were collected during the past week.
While area residents know the town where the new case is located, the Maine CDC is not releasing that information because of patient privacy laws about individual cases. The Maine CDC is now releasing town-by-town data for many municipalities, but in counties where total case counts are low enough that town data could indirectly reveal the identity of a case, all town information in the county is suppressed. Robert Long, communications director for the Maine CDC, states, "Washington County's total case count remains too low to release zip code level data without potentially revealing personally identifying information."
Although only one confirmed active case is listed currently for the county, Long points out that Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC, "has stated often people in every part of Maine should live their lives as if the virus is in their community. The virus travels wherever people travel, and the maps and data simply show where confirmed cases live, not where they traveled."
Long says that a case investigation is opened for any individuals who test positive for COVID-19. As part of that investigation, Maine CDC will be in touch with people who had been in contact with the individual and provide guidance on how to proceed. According to Long, the Maine CDC has conducted contact tracing for every case dating back to the state's first presumed positive in March. "Contact tracing is done as part of case investigations, so the resources allocated for contact tracing are determined by case investigation needs, not county."
According to the Maine CDC, if someone believes they have been in recent contact with a person diagnosed with COVID 19, they should alert their medical provider and ask about the advisability of testing. People who experience symptoms of COVID 19 should contact a medical provider and self-quarantine until they can see that provider and be tested. If they do not have a medical provider, they can call 1 800 821 5821 and use the standing order that is on the Maine CDC's website at a testing site, if they do not have a medical provider's order for testing. The standing order authorizes testing for anyone with symptoms or who may have been exposed to others with COVID-19.
In addition to the testing services available at area hospitals and health clinics, the Department of Health and Human Services aims to have a "swab and send" site operating in Washington County in July. Long states, "Department staff are working with people in the county to get the site up and running. At that time, more information about location, sample collection volume and wait time should be available."

Tribal government takes steps
In her June 20 letter to community members at Pleasant Point, Passamaquoddy Chief Marla Dana wrote that, with the confirmed positive case in a nearby community, residents of Sipayik may have been exposed to the virus. Chief Dana as well as incident management team members who were possibly exposed to the potential carrier have been tested for COVID-19. In addition, all tribal government employees who have been deemed essential, as well as those who may have had incidental contact, are being tested.
Any tribal government employees who may have been exposed to the virus will self-quarantine until their results return from the lab. A refusal to be tested will result in the employee being sent home. "This measure, while it may be viewed as extreme, is a precautionary one designed to minimize any potential spread with the Pleasant Point community," Dana wrote.
The tribal government also is now instituting security checkpoints at the entrances to the community off Route 190. Non-residents may be not be allowed on the reservation, "if it is deemed in the best interest of our community and our citizens to keep everyone safe," Chief Dana states. In April the tribal government had set up traffic control gates to prevent any through traffic onto the reservation and posted signs stating, "No entry. Residents only."
Based on the recommendation of the tribal government's emergency management consultant, the two incident commanders with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Health Services and medical providers, the tribal government has moved its emergency management phase back to only key leadership and essential staff for the 14 days after June 20. Chief Dana wrote, "We will be providing all necessary services to our community, as we understand those services are needed." Those services include medical, law enforcement, meals for the elderly and emergency services for those who need food, water and other resources from the tribal government. All services not deemed necessary for life-safety measures and of absolute critical need have been suspended.
"We must take measures to mitigate the potential spread of this dangerous pandemic," Dana stated.
"When I see how nations all across Indian Country have been affected by this pandemic, I am reassured the measures we are taking are needed to continue in our efforts to protect all of our community members."