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I'm really struck by the vastly different treatment of two travelers who broke quarantine when they came to Alaska in recent weeks.
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The first, is a man who got a "compassionate" early release from prison because he is struggling with cancer. https://www.ktoo.org/2020/05/27/a-convict-broke-alaskas-quarantine-after-release-from-california-prison-then-he-tested-positive-for-covid-19/
He was leaving the Terminal Island prison, which as one of the worst outbreaks in a federal penitentiary in the country. More than 1,000 inmates were infected. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-04-29/coronavirus-terminal-island-prison-inmates-outbreak
He tested positive for COVID-19 but no one told him. And federal officials still put him on a plane for Anchorage the next day. Five days later, his parole officer was trying to find him to deliver the test results but couldn't -- turns out he was at his mother's house.
He says that's where he was supposed to be -- he gave @AKpublicnews a copy of his release paperwork. It lists his mother’s address not the hotel’s. But federal prosecutors filed criminal charges, including a felony, against him in late May.
His name is everywhere. It's in the charging documents in all of the news coverage. So is detailed information about when he got sick and where he's been, what community he flew to. Even the name of the hotel where he would have stayed. And now - he could be sent back to prison.
Fast forward to this week and news breaks that Ketchikan is facing 'wide community spread' of COVID-19. After someone flew into town and knowingly violated quarantine. https://www.ktoo.org/2020/06/17/ketchikan-officials-warn-of-potential-wide-community-spread-of-covid-19-after-traveler-broke-quarantine/
In this case, this person took a test when they landed in Ketchikan and was explicitly told to quarantine until getting the results back. Well, they didn't.
https://krbd-org.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Media-Release-KTN-EOC-6-17-20-COVID-19-Update-on-June-16-Traveler-Positive-Case.pdf?_ga=2.70135574.704852665.1592351917-1584266438.1588096655&_gac=1.128963710.1592011669.Cj0KCQjwz4z3BRCgARIsAES_OVcNEfMGyaQr_PfpFt5xp1dyJ6fpyDKpC0nyztU5_l-HuKrsdVmMRD8aAjbVEALw_wcB
https://krbd-org.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Media-Release-KTN-EOC-6-17-20-COVID-19-Update-on-June-16-Traveler-Positive-Case.pdf?_ga=2.70135574.704852665.1592351917-1584266438.1588096655&_gac=1.128963710.1592011669.Cj0KCQjwz4z3BRCgARIsAES_OVcNEfMGyaQr_PfpFt5xp1dyJ6fpyDKpC0nyztU5_l-HuKrsdVmMRD8aAjbVEALw_wcB
This person apparently started meeting up with people, going to parties, hanging out in groups -- playing softball. And the impact is pretty widespread. https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2020/06/18/angry-hurt-disappointed-ketchikan-leaders-try-to-defuse-outrage-against-infected-traveler-who-broke-quarantine/?fbclid=IwAR2PYoUc-iuHHKDFoLY85y2NWJMXy63a_MuHRkgEaXfDgJ8LdRk-aEeg5lg
Ketchikan Public Utilities’ sole customer service office is closed. Ketchikan Little League announced it would suspend three divisions for at least two weeks. And “multiple city department heads and employees” are working from home.
Right now, city leaders are trying to diffuse community anger. The city manager said "now is not the time to express words of anger toward someone who made a few bad choices, but rather the time to support them and others in our community who are impacted."
They won't release this person's name. It's not anywhere in any of the media coverage either, even though it has been all over social media. They won't release a list of parties or public spaces they know this person was in -- to protect their privacy. https://www.krbd.org/2020/06/18/ketchikan-police-investigating-traveler-who-reportedly-broke-quarantine-as-emergency-manager-appeals-for-calm/?fbclid=IwAR3lG2-oohYAVLjqKL1tLvZ3m4m-fNA0oXRQLPnSFsbvmH9YT1xBE512120
City police are investigating, there could be charges. But they seem particularly interested in what happened after the person knew they had tested positive. A huge difference from the charges filed against someone who didn't even know he was sick.
Anyway, I don't have anything of moral significance to say here, which I think might be a twitter foul. It's just nagging me. And shout out to @kcgrove and @eriwinsto and @adndotcom following these two stories closely.
Update! They dropped the charges against the Anchorage man. https://www.alaskapublic.org/2020/06/19/feds-drop-charges-for-alleged-coronavirus-quarantine-violation/
