Health Mandate #5, which had put the State government in between doctors and their patients and prohibited many forms of diagnosis and treatment, has been lifted by Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
Elective procedures and surgeries may go forward, he said, but added notes of caution.
“We came to the conclusion that society and Alaska is better off if we open up this sector sooner rather than later,” Dunleavy said.
The medical sector is the first of all the economic sectors to open up, he said. If there is a large increase in coronavirus cases, he said the State could see the need to throttle it back to preserve medical equipment.
“We are assessing it on a daily basis, assessing PPE (personal protective equipment), where we are getting it, how much is being used. We are constantly trying to fine tune things and get life closer to the normal life we once had.
“With time we are going to understand what is happening with this virus,” he said.
“We’re hoping we are entering into a period where we can manage this. You’ve done a fantastic job, Alaska,” Dunleavy said. “We’re very fortunate that we have Alaskans that understand what’s happening and are informed and know what we have to do with Alaskans to deal with this. We’re hoping we’ve bent a curve.”
