Sitka Fire Chief Craig Warren issued an urgent public appeal Wednesday asking residents to reinstate COVID-19 precautions as case rates climb and schools close for a second time.

"These COVID-19 case rates are just going up dramatically," Warren said. "We have to do something and we have to do it now."

Warren warned that the rising case numbers will strain the regional hospital, which serves communities beyond Sitka. "Our schools are closing again and there is going to be a large burden on our healthcare system," he said. "And remember, this is a regional hospital. It is not just our community."

The fire chief invoked the community response to a recent landslide, when hundreds of residents volunteered to help. He asked Sitkans to show the same spirit by following health protocols.

"I am asking you to volunteer to help out today," Warren said. "We need to go back to social distancing. We need to order in instead of going out to the restaurants, wear our masks when we are out in public, practice good hygiene."

Warren said basic precautions that were standard practice months ago have been abandoned. "All the basics that we know about and we were told about months and months ago have kind of gone by the wayside," he said.

"It is time to get drastic," Warren said. "These numbers are going up and I do not see them coming back down if we do not change now."