Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Alaska Is First to Fully Reopen After Pandemic Closures
By Selected News Articles @ 12:28 PM :: 2237 Views :: COVID-19

49th State Is First to Fully Reopen After Pandemic Closures

About 400 Alaskans have tested positive for Covid-19, and 10 have died.

by Julie St Louis, Court House News, May 26, 2020

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CN) — The 49th state to join the union will be the first state to fully reopen for business after two-plus months of pandemic shutdowns.

Alaska is a striking contrast to its noncontiguous counterpart Hawaii, which remains mostly locked down, tracking and arresting travelers and sending them back home if they break the mandatory two-week quarantine. Alaska also has a two-week quarantine, but no arrests have been made and officials say it is essentially voluntary, in hopes people will do the right thing once they arrive in the Last Frontier.

Retail stores, restaurants, gyms, museums and churches were allowed to reopen statewide on Friday for the long weekend, while Anchorage, the state’s most populous city, phased into a 100% opening on Monday. Alaska entered what officials dubbed as phases three and four of its five-phase reopening plan simultaneously at 8 a.m. Friday. Before this latest easing of restrictions, businesses that were able to operate were doing so at only 25% to 50% of capacity.

“The understanding we had with the people of Alaska was: Give us some time to build up our health-care capacity to deal with what we thought was going to be a spike,” Governor Mike Dunleavy said. “People of Alaska have given us that time. It’s come with great sacrifice. So we believe we can manage this virus,” he said in a statement.

Dunleavy and state officials say Alaskans should continue to practice physical distancing by staying at least 6 feet apart from those not in their immediate household, and avoid large gatherings. However, it will be up to each business to decide how to operate safely as the state moves from mandates to guidelines.

“Sanitation, wiping down, washing hands is going to be crucial,” Dunleavy said.

The 14-day quarantine requirement for people traveling into Alaska is still in place, at least through early June, when state officials say they will reassess the rule. According to Dunleavy, the state is working with airlines and airports on protocols that will allow the mandate to be lifted. 

Major population centers like Anchorage, and even smaller remote communities, continue to make decisions based on the metrics it tied to individual reopening plans in each location.

“As the governor’s materials directly acknowledged today, local communities are permitted to have stricter health restrictions,” according to a statement from Anchorage spokeswoman Carolyn Hall. “Businesses and organizations within the municipality are required to comply with local as well as state law,” she said.

Despite reopening of business, most major festivals, including the Alaska State Fair, have been canceled for this year. One new Covid-19 resident case was reported Monday, with two new nonresident cases reported by those traveling to the state to work in seasonal fish processing jobs. Those people were said to be quarantined upon arrival and kept separate from local populations.

So far about 400 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Alaska, and nearly 90% have recovered. Forty-three Alaskans have been hospitalized and 10 have died. More than 36,000 tests have been administered. Compared to the rest of the country, Alaska has one of the lowest per-capita infection rates.

In contrast, Hawaii has reported no new cases in the past two days, with more than 600 confirmed cases, 17 deaths, approximately 50,000 tests administered and 90% of cases recovered. Officials in the 50th state say businesses are beginning a phased reopening with the majority opening on June 1.

---30---

SN: ‘Skagway is not becoming Hawaii’ – MOS extends self-isolation with no penalties

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT