Mayor signs Emergency Orders EO-15 and EO-13 v2

Mayor Ethan Berkowitz signed Emergency Order EO-15 to preserve the health and safety of the Municipality of Anchorage from COVID-19 on July 31, 2020. Anchorage just experienced its worst week of the epidemic as measured by new cases, active cases, and cases per day.
 
New local cases are being found at more than double the rate of last week. The number of cases has exceeded the Anchorage Health Department’s capacity to rapidly trace and monitor every known case. More people are in the hospital with COVID-19 in Anchorage now than at any point in the epidemic, and modeling from the University of Alaska Anchorage shows a deteriorating situation in which Anchorage exceeds hospital ICU capacity by mid-September if we don’t act immediately to flatten the curve.
 
EO-15 mandates a “four-week reset” through limitations for individuals, gathering sizes, bars and nightclubs, restaurants and breweries, and bingo halls and theaters. The four-week reset intends to curb the widespread community transmission and ongoing increase in COVID-19 cases in the community. EO-15 will take effect on Monday, August 3 at 8:00 a.m. and will remain in effect until Sunday, August 30 at 11:59 p.m.
 
EO-15 enacts the following regulations:
  1. Individuals shall limit outings and contact with people outside of their household and wear a cloth face covering or mask in public.
  2. At-risk individuals are recommended to take even greater precaution by staying at home and minimizing all in-person interactions.
  3. Requirements for individuals likely to be contagious with COVID-19 include: people with symptoms shall stay home except for medical care and testing; people who traveled outside Alaska must self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival or follow exceptions as detailed in EO-11; household members of those who are possibly contagious should isolate to the maximum extent possible; and, individuals contacted by health authorities should quarantine as directed by public health professionals.
  4. Gathering limitations restrict indoor gatherings to 15 people or fewer, outdoor gatherings involving food or drink to 25 people or fewer, and outdoor gatherings that do not involve food or drink to 50 people or fewer. Masks are required to be worn at all gatherings. The gathering limitation does not include farmers markets, outdoor food-truck events, drive-in events where groups remain in separate vehicles and maintain physical distancing, and day cares, day camps, or educational institutions for grades K-12.
  5. Remote work shall be required when work can be accomplished remotely without significantly impeding business operations.
  6. Bars and nightclubs closed to dine-in service and encouraged to offer takeout, curbside, and delivery service.
  7. Restaurants and breweries closed to indoor dining.
  8. Bingo halls and theaters closed.
  9. Retail and other public-facing businesses are encouraged to prioritize telephone and online ordering; increase offering of curbside and delivery services; and implement reserved hours for at-risk populations.

Mayor Berkowitz also signed Emergency Order EO-13 v2, extending the requirement to wear cloth face coverings or masks in indoor public spaces. EO-13 v2 also requires individuals to wear masks or cloth face coverings at all outdoor gatherings when six feet of physical distancing from non-household members cannot be maintained. EO-13 v2 took effect on Friday, July 31, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. and remains in effect until modified or revoked.
 
On Tuesday, July 28, 2020, the Anchorage Assembly extended Mayor Berkowitz’s Proclamation of Emergency until October 16, 2020. This action extends previous emergency orders that are in effect until modified, revoked, or until the end of the Proclamation of Emergency:
  • EO-14 (return to a modified Phase Two in the “Safe Anchorage: Roadmap to Reopening the Municipality of Anchorage” plan)
  • EO-12 and EO-08 (align municipal marijuana and alcohol code and regulations with changes made by the State of Alaska and Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board)
  • EO-11 (requirements for interstate travelers in conjunction with the State of Alaska’s Health Mandate 10.1)
  • EO-10 (Phase Three in the “Safe Anchorage: Roadmap to Reopening the Municipality of Anchorage” plan; safety criteria in effect if not superseded by EO-14)
  • EO-04 v3 (waives bag fees and allows businesses to temporarily use plastic bags)

​COVID-19 poses a grave risk to the health and safety of Anchorage residents. EO-15 and the continuation of other emergency orders acknowledges that our community remains in the midst of an active, evolving pandemic. Residents should continue to keep social bubbles small, wear cloth face coverings in indoor public places, stay 6 feet away from others, and wash hands often.