Twenty sea workers became infected with coronavirus after an outbreak of COVID-19 on the seafood factory crawler Continue to the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, according to city officials.
The trawler, owned by the O’Hara shipping company, had a crew of 40 workers, according to a statement from the city of Unalaska.
CAraho members arrived in Unalaska from Seattle on Wednesday, according to the Anchorage Daily News. Some of the crew members said on arrival that they had symptoms of coronavirus, According to the media, said Erin Reinders, manager of the city of Unalaska.
After testing, it was found that half the crew had the virus. Reinders said a plan is being developed to treat crew members with the virus and those who do not have the virus.
The news comes when processors and seafood vessels in the Aleutian Islands have experienced a recent increase in coronavirus cases. According to the Daily News, five cases of the virus were reported on Thursday on the Island Enterprise, owned by Trident Seafoods.
Another Trident plant in Akutan was closed due to an outbreak. The plant is the largest seafood processing plant in North America and 266 out of 705 workers contracted coronavirus at the facility.
Reinders said there are 57 cases of coronavirus related to the marine industry in the city of Unalaska.
Alaska has reported more than 53,000 coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic and 253 deaths, according to data compiled by The New York Times.