Acting Anchorage mayor relaxes hunker down order

The ‘hunker down order’ in Anchorage will be relaxed starting Jan 1.

Municipality of Anchorage Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson made the announcement Tuesday afternoon.

“We came perilously close to overwhelming our health care system before the holidays, but thanks to the personal sacrifices Anchorage residents made, we’re ready to transition to EO-17, which gently loosens limitations, while remaining focused on public health measures,” Quinn-Davidson said in a press released issued by the municipality.

Dine-in services and bars and restaurants have been closed and retail businesses have been limited to 25 percent capacity throughout the month of December after the original hunker down order was issued by the acting mayor in late November. Municipal officials cited a steep incline in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Southcentral Alaska in November as the need for the aggressive approach. COVID-19 cases rates and hospitalizations have dropped significantly in December. Municipality officials credit the order.

“In the last month, case rates in Anchorage have dropped by more than half and continue to decrease due to the collective sacrifices required by the modified hunker down emergency order and the individual actions of residents. Following each hunker down or modified hunker down emergency order, in March and April (EO-03), August (EO-15), and December (EO-16), the Municipality experienced a 35% or greater reduction in cases. To help prevent the need to return to another hunker down during the pandemic, Anchorage must slowly loosen restrictions in a way that protects public health,” municipality officials said in the release.

With the relaxed restrictions, bars and restaurants will be able to operate seated table services up to 25 percent capacity, but all alcohol services must stop at 11 p.m. Retail stores, salons and personal care providers, and indoor gyms and fitness centers can operate at up to 50 percent capacity. Entertainment facilities are limited to 25 percent capacity. Indoor sporting events are closed to competition between different teams.

The new order will take effect on Friday, January 1, 2021, at 8 a.m. and remain in effect until revoked.

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