Governor says power to require masks lies with local authorities

ANCHORAGE — Governor Mike Dunleavy held a press conference on Tuesday to address the state’s COVID-19 response with regards to schools and directed residents to find answers to their questions with local school districts. Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum announced the changes to nonresident travel into Alaska starting August 11. Alaska has had 3,449 cumulative resident cases of COVID-19 to date as 56 new cases were announced on Wednesday. The Mat-Su Borough has 314 cumulative cases with three additional cases announced Wednesday.

“Again we’re going to be watching those numbers as well. We’re going to be watching the numbers. We’re going to make every attempt to make sure that those numbers flatten out and again we’ve got to see what happens when we open our schools,” said Dunleavy. “What’s the impact for example you have with neighboring communities that are connected by road if in fact there are higher numbers in one communit than the other, we’re going to have to see what that looks like, how that actually manifests itself but certainly we’re trying to do what we can to make sure that we keep these numbers in check.”

Alaska’s cumulative percent positivity rate increased to 2.94 on Wednesday, the highest since April 9. Of the three new cases announced in the Mat-Su Valley, two were from Wasilla and one was from Willow. A total of 14,957 Mat-Su Valley residents have been tested and one person is currently hospitalized with COVID-19. Throughout the course of the coronavirus pandemic, two Mat-Su residents have died and 10 have been hospitalized.

“It’s imperative that we educate our kids. We’re going to do the best job we can and we’re going to be able to accomplish this by pulling together,” said Dunleavy.

With the reopening of Mat-Su Schools on August 19, Department of Education and Early Development Commissioner Michael Johnson presented with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink about the state guidance to 53 school districts and Mount Edgecumbe High School on how to safely deliver education.

“Local school districts have the authority, the authority, the responsibility and the flexibility to make decisions to be responsive to their communities. Our joint mission, the DHSS and Education is to provide the information, the resources and the leadership needed to help districts through these tough decisions and planning,” said Johnson.

Zink said that 14.3 percent of all Alaska cases are in children, but some evidence has been found that children under the age of 10 are less likely to spread COVID-19 and that the transmission of the disease through children is still undetermined. Zink said that the state’s guidance offers choices to each school district maximizing hygiene, face coverings and limiting mixing with cohorting of students within age groups.

“We do know that physical distancing, face coverings, hand hygiene, encouraging people to stay home when they’re sick are the mainstays of treatment and so we continue to encourage those at all levels regardless if it’s school or not school,” said Zink. “It’s easy to open schools, it’s going to be really hard to keep schools open and the goal is to keep them open and not have them rapidly close as soon as they stay open and this cohorting can be an important tool in that.”

Zink noted that though one quarter of Alaska’s teachers and school staff are at risk of infection for COVID-19, schools have the options to deliver education safely and remotely if necessary. Johnson said that the guiding principle of their work has been that education must remain a constant while COVID-19 is variable.

DHSS Commissioner Adam Crum announced the details to the changes in nonresident entry into Alaska. Nonresidents must provide either proof of a negative test result within 72 hours of their departure time upon entry into Alaska or receive a test prior to departure and quarantine while awaiting results in Alaska. Crum said that travelers can upload their results to the Alaska Travel Portal and that nonresident travelers entering Alaska without negative test results or pending test results will be provided testing at the airport at their own expense and must quarantine while awaiting results.

“What we wanted to do is we saw a tightening of the resources in testing for example, we want to be able to shift some of that from testing folks who aren’t residents to residents here in the state of Alaska to make sure anyone going out to some of our hubs for example have the ability to be tested so if they are identified as being positive again they can get the assistance that they need,” said Dunleavy.

Alaska residents returning through Alaskan airports will still be provided tests at no cost or can choose to return home and quarantine for 14 days, foregoing testing. Anyone under the age of 10 does not require test results to enter Alaska.

“This new strategy will allow us to focus resources on travel within the state,” said Crum. “Alaska residents traveling back home to communities in rural Alaska will now have the option of testing at these airports sites so that they can prevent bringing the virus into their small communities.”

Crum also said that Alaskans who are licensed health professionals or want to volunteer to help can visit alaskarespond.alaska.gov to sign up and help with the Alaska Respond program. With local municipalities examining their options for health powers enforcement as Governor Dunleavy has not issued statewide mask mandates, Dunleavy addressed the concerns of local municipal officials.

“We believe that our communities can through their local governments put into place requirements or advisories. We believe that working with our Department of Law we’ve had those conversations over the past several weeks. We believe that can happen,” said Dunleavy.