COVID-19 Virus Updates

Issued: March 20, 2020

By: Dr. Anne Zink, Chief Medical Officer, State of Alaska
Commissioner Adam Crum, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services

The State of Alaska and the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) acknowledge the importance of suspending all non-essential travel across the Alaska border as well as minimizing intrastate travel to avoid introducing new COVID-19 cases into Alaska from out of state, and slow the spread of the virus in state. Greater than 80% of proven COVID-19 cases have come from out of state, primarily from the lower 48. It is imperative that Alaskans heed these guidelines.

Health Alert 9.1 – Out of State Travel
To prevent the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the State of Alaska is issuing the following strong advisory:

That all Alaskans cease non-essential out of state personal, business, and medical travel now. Alaskans currently out of state are encouraged to return home now if they had plans to return to Alaska within the next 30 days.

We strongly advise that any tourist and non-essential business travel to Alaska be suspended now. We strongly recommend that visitors to Alaska return to their home communities now.

Airlines operating interstate travel are mandated to immediately post this recommendation to their customers on their webpages and at the airports in a place that is easily seen.

Airports in Alaska are mandated to prominently post all travel recommendations.

Tour operators should immediately suspend reservations for any out of state visitors.

Businesses that depend on interstate travel should immediately assess their travel needs and only move essential personnel or travel for emergency reasons. Any travelling employee is expected to self-isolate for 14 days after arrival in Alaska.

All travelers returning from a Level 3 area are mandated to self-quarantine for 14 days as previously outlined in COVID-19 Health Mandate 004.

Any returning resident or worker is expected to self-quarantine for 14 days after returning to Alaska and monitor for illness. If you cannot work from home, you should not return to work until this period has passed, unless your work supports critical infrastructure (see Attachment A). If your work is a part of critical infrastructure, it is the expectation that every attempt will be made to comply with the 14-day quarantine or that appropriate steps are taken to protect workers, the public and spread of COVID-19.

Any visitor to Alaska is expected to self-isolate for 14 days after arriving in Alaska, monitor for illness, and follow appropriate social distancing protocols while in Alaska.

Health Alert 9.2 – In-State Alaska Travel
To prevent the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the State of Alaska is issuing the following strong advisory:

That all Alaskans cease any non-essential in-state long distance personal, business, or medical travel, with specific heightened concern for travel to remote areas with limited medical resources.

We strongly recommend that non-residents cease any non-essential personal, business, or medical long-distance travel within Alaska with specific heightened concern for travel to remote areas with limited medical resources.

All air, road and maritime services operating in Alaska are mandated to post on the web and in their terminals, these travel recommendations.

All airports, ports, and bus terminals are mandated to prominently post these travel recommendations.

Any tour operator depending on clients moving long distances across Alaska should strongly consider suspending operations.

We expect any traveler who leaves a community with known cases of COVID-19 to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival to their destination community and monitor for symptoms of illness. Following that period, appropriate social distancing should be followed.

The sacrifice of all Alaskans during this public health emergency is notable. While social distancing is one arm of slowing the spread of COVID-19, minimizing travel is an equally important part of slowing the spread of disease. We are aware of the impact these health advisories have, specifically on our travel industry, already hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The state is committed to continue to work with businesses and employees impacted by the pandemic and will continue to work to mitigate these impacts. The safety and health of all Alaskans is our primary concern.

This health advisory does not apply to medical, personal, or business emergencies.

This is not a mandate.

State of Alaska COVID-19 Health Alert 009

**COVID-19 HEALTH MANDATE**

Issued: March 20, 2020

By: Governor Mike Dunleavy
Commissioner Adam Crum, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services
Dr. Anne Zink, Chief Medical Officer, State of Alaska

To prevent the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the State of Alaska is issuing its eighth health mandate based on the authority under the Public Health Disaster Emergency Declaration signed by Governor Mike Dunleavy on March 11, 2020.

Given the increasing concern for new cases of COVID-19 around Alaska, the purpose of this mandate is to limit all close contacts (people outside of a family unit) to be farther than six feet from each other to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Mandate 8.1 – State of Alaska – Public and Private Schools 
Public and private schools are closed to students through May 1, 2020. Students will receive instruction through distance delivery methods. All after school activities will be suspended during this time.

These are measures to protect Alaskans. We appreciate the public’s understanding of this mandate in an effort to mitigate this virus.

For the latest information on COVID-19, visit coronavirus.alaska.gov
State of Alaska COVID-19 Mandate 008

**COVID-19 HEALTH MANDATE**

Issued: March 19, 2020

By: Governor Mike Dunleavy
Commissioner Adam Crum, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services
Dr. Anne Zink, Chief Medical Officer, State of Alaska

To prevent the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the State of Alaska is issuing its fifth health mandate. This mandate supersedes guidance provided in COVID-19 Health Alert 006.

The Public Health Disaster Emergency Declaration signed by Governor Mike Dunleavy on March 11, 2020 provides for health mandates to be issued when deemed necessary by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, the Alaska Chief Medical Officer, the Alaska Division of Public Health and the Office of the Governor.

Mandate 5.1 – Elective Procedures
All patients, providers, hospitals and surgical centers are required to postpone or cancel all non-urgent or elective procedures for three months to decrease the overall impact on the Alaska health care structure and preserve personal protective equipment. This would include pre-scheduled surgeries deemed non-essential. This mandate does not apply to surgical cases coming through the emergency room or for an existing hospitalized patient.

Because the terms “non-urgent or elective” are not fully defined, the state recommends each hospital creates a physician task force that would be available to evaluate on a case-by-case basis and make a determination on borderline surgeries. This action is taken with the guidance from U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams and the American College of Surgeons: www.facs.org/about-acs/covid-19/information-for-surgeons and www.facs.org/about-acs/covid-19/information-for-surgeons/triage.

Given Alaska’s distances and limited health care capacity, it is especially important to open acute health care beds for anticipated COVID-19 care and preserve personal protective equipment. The State of Alaska believes that delaying non emergent procedures is a protective measure both for patients and the health care workforce and will better prepare us for the anticipated impact COVID-19 will have on our health care system.

We appreciate the public’s understanding of this mandate in an effort to mitigate the impacts of this virus.

For the latest information on COVID-19, visit coronavirus.alaska.gov
State of Alaska COVID-19 Mandate 005