Some non-essential businesses can reopen as early as Friday with limitations, state officials say

State officials have teased the potential reopening of certain business sectors in Alaska. Gov. Mike Dunleavy revealed the first part of a multi-phase plan during press conferences Tuesday and Wednesday in Anchorage.

With more than 10,000 COVID-19 tests administered in the state as of Wednesday, Dunleavy announced that some non-essential businesses — such as restaurants, retail stores and hair salons — can reopen, with limitations, as early as Friday.

“We said consistently from the get-go, we knew we were going to have potentially two disasters unfolding at the same time. One was going to be a pandemic, we were bracing for the worst, and one was an economic disaster,” Dunleavy said. ‘We want to prevent both of those from happening. We were going to put health first, the health and safety of all Alaskans will always be first. But we do feel we can begin the reopening process. We do feel like we can begin phase one of our opening process.”

Phase one includes the reopening of restaurants to limited dine-in service, retail stores and personal services, such as hair and nail salons. Dunleavy and Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum both stressed the plan to reopen businesses comes with the need to continue to practice social distancing, and additional measures to reduce the spread of COVID1-19 such as the use of face masks and gloves.

“Be mindful that there may be changes in the establishment you frequent,” Dunleavy said. “It’s all in an effort to make sure we are protecting each through this health crisis and working our way through economic reopening.”

Restaurants have been allowed to remain open to delivery or curbside takeout since the state initially issued the order to close non-essential businesses due to the threat of coronavirus. Starting Friday, restaurants can reopen to limited dine-in service, Crum said during the press conference Tuesday. The plan includes limiting restaurants to 25 percent capacity, and a distance of 10 feet between tables. State officials are also calling for only members of the same household to be seated at a single table, and for restaurants to take reservations. Crum said state officials are encouraging customers to continue to utilize delivery and takeout services.

Retail stores — aside from grocery stores, which have remained opened and classified as essential businesses — will also be limited to 25 percent capacity. Crum said the state is also encouraging only one adult member of a single household enter the store at one time, and patrons to use face masks and practice social distancing.

The list of personal services businesses that can reopen includes hair salons, day spas, nail salons, barber shops, tattoo shops, body piercing locations and tanning facilities.

“We’re going to give these businesses the opportunity to open. Really it’s one provider, one client, no waiting room, appointments only,” Crum said.

Additional detail regarding the relaxed mandates will be available on the state’s website Wednesday, Dunleavy said.

Entertainment venues such as bars, theatres, bowling alleys and bingo parlors will remain closed under phase one, Crum said.

Crum also announced the extension of mandates regarding social distancing and travel. Health mandate 10, which calls for a mandatory 14-day quarantine following any international or interstate travel, has been extended through May 19. Health mandate 11, which involves social distancing, is extended until further notice. Health mandate 12, which includes intrastate travel, is extended until further notice.

“This is limiting your travel in Alaska to critical personal needs,” Crum said of health mandate 12.

Dunleavy said this is the first step of a five-phase plan.

“We’re just cautiously optimistic. We’re hoping to do everything we can to keep those numbers at a certain level,” Dunleavy said.

Alaska’s total number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 stands at 335, with six new cases on Wednesday. That total included another positive case in Wasilla. The Mat-Su currently has 20 cases, nine of which are in Palmer and 11 of which are in Wasilla. Only four of the 20 cases have been attributed to travel, with two each.

No more Alaskans have died or been hospitalized as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak in Alaska. A total of 10.858 Alaskans have been tested and only 3.1 of them have tested positive.

Contact Frontiersman managing editor Jeremiah Bartz at editor@frontiersman.com.