Fishing Alaska and COVID-19
Honestly, it’s hard to even write about this as it seems all we every hear or talk about now-a-days is COVID-19. Obviously this is very serious stuff and not to be trifled or irresponsible with. Safety is the number one priority. We want to keep everyone in the loop as there are many un-answered questions that we would like to address.
First and foremost, the health and safety of PBA employees, the local community, and of course all of you planning on coming up this summer is of the utmost importance. We are following all of the federal and state mandates and guidelines as well as raising the level of safety with some of our own policies and procedures to help keep every one as healthy as possible.
If we travel to Alaska, do we have to quarantine?
Short answer is “no” as long as the required procedures are followed, which we will cover next.
What must we do to travel to Alaska?
Fill out a traveler declaration form. You can find the form here. It is two pages of straight forward questions that should only take a few minutes to complete. This must accompany you on your trip and will need to be presented either prior to boarding on your flight to Alaska or upon arrival. Please use PBA phone number as a contact number as you will most likely be on the river or your phone may not work in Bethel. 907-545-1155.
According to mandates by the state of Alaska, if you wish to travel to Alaska, you must get a PCR COVID-19 test within 5 days of traveling to Alaska that shows you tested negative. Click here for a list of all COVID-19 testing centers in the U.S.A. Proof of this test must be shown prior to or after boarding your flight to Anchorage. Upon arriving in Alaska, you must provide another test at the airport. You are not required to quarantine, just minimize interactions with others until you get your test results back. The results can take anywhere from 3 to 7 days. You will not receive a call if you do not test positive for COVID. If you choose not to test prior to boarding your flight to Anchorage, you will be highly encouraged to take a test once arriving in Anchorage or Bethel. You are required to self quarantine until your results come back. You will only be called if you test positive for COVID-19, however, you can call after day 3 and ask if your test has been completed just to put the waiting game to an end. The test could take up to 7 days to get your results. If you provide a PCR test 72 hours or sooner to your departure flight, you are not required to do any tests or any quarantine upon arrival in Alaska and are good to go. For a full write up of the requirements, click here.
What should we expect when riding in Papa Bear Adventures Airplanes?
We will not be using headsets as they are extremely hard to keep clean because of the mouth piece. We will however offer disposable ear plugs to all passengers.
Everyone will be required to wear a mask. PBA requests that your bring your own mask, however, we will provide masks for those who don’t have one.
The aircraft will be cleaned after each flight with disinfectant.
Prior to boarding the aircraft, hand sanitizer will be provided to all occupants.
What do I do if I get COVID-19 in Bethel?
The 3rd floor of the Long House Hotel is reserved for self quarantine.
The hotel stay will be at your expense.
Bethel is prepared and equipped to handle COVID-19 emergencies.
If I have symptoms of COVID-19 on the river, what do I do?
If you suspect that you may have COVID-19 on the river, immediately call Papa Bear and we will inform the COVID testing center here in Bethel. We will follow their guidance on what to do next. You safety is of the utmost importance and if for some reason you or someone in your group contracted COVID, we will do everything in our power to get you out of the field and/or what ever you need.
In closing, if you have a trip planned with us this summer, we are excited to get you fishing. We are confident in our preparation and supplies to help keep everyone and everything as clean and healthy as humanly possible. Thank you for your business and we look forward to serving you this summer and hopefully in the future.
Sincerely, your Papa Bear family.