Wrangell Sentinel -

With the announcement of three new cases Thursday evening, and one new case Friday morning, Wrangell now has six active cases of COVID-19. One of the new cases was someone at Evergreen Elementary School.

“Based upon the information we have at this time, there will be no building closure,” the school district posted to Facebook on Thursday evening.

The first COVID-19 case was reported by the city about 3:45 p.m. Thursday. The city said the individual was a local resident, and a close contact of a previous case. The individual has been in quarantine since identified as a close contact.

Two more cases were announced later in the evening, about 6:50 p.m., making five total active cases in town. There was no additional information from the city in its media release, but it did report that public health officials have found evidence of community transmission in town.

“Community transmission happens when there are confirmed cases of COVID-19 and there is no source of infection identified in some of the cases and cannot be directly traced back to a known exposure,” the statement said.

“Due to the identification of community transmission, and to reduce the spread of COVID-19, health officials and the local EOC (emergency operations center) are reinforcing the importance of practicing social distancing, wearing a mask or face covering when in public spaces, frequent hand washing and staying home when sick,” the city’s statement said.

The Wrangell School District reported Thursday evening that it was “in the process of tracing and interviewing close contacts,” after it was notified by health officials “of a positive case in Evergreen Elementary School.”

Friday's case was reported as a close contact of "at least one of the most recent positive COVID-19 cases in Wrangell." They are a local resident, according to the city, and are in isolation.

These latest cases make 43 total cases of COVID-19 reported in Wrangell since the start of the pandemic. Of these, 37 have recovered.