Governor transitions to ‘path to normalcy’ with no more mandatory airport testing

By
Suzanne Downing
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35

 Gov. Mike Dunleavy today said he will not be issuing another emergency order. At least not today. The emergency declaration is expiring and is not being renewed.

Testing at airports will be voluntary from here on, he said. Over 200 regulations that were suspended to help businesses, will be evaluated over the next few weeks for change to ensure businesses are not burdened.

He said that cities like Anchorage may continue to have their own regulations that are not state regulations.

“I’m going to strongly suggest to our first class cities that they too look at the numbers we are looking at, that the metrics we are looking at,” he said.

He did release a new COVID-19 recovery and transition plan that begins the process of moving Alaska to the path to normalcy while still effectively managing the virus.

If the State sees the metrics changing for the worse, that will require another conversation.

His directive to commissioners and state employees are that they shall continue following all policies regarding COVID-19 that were in place under the COVID-19 disaster declaration that expires today, February 14, at midnight.

The administration is issuing four health advisories that address general safety, travel and critical infrastructure, with appendices focusing on the seafood industry. The advisories are based on the latest epidemiological data and expertise within the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and outline best practices to continue mitigating the spread of COVID-19, according to a news release from his office.

“My administration will begin moving Alaska, its economy and our lives forward through this transition and recovery process,” said Governor Mike Dunleavy.

Make no mistake about it, the virus may be with us for some time. But the data shows that the worst is most likely behind us. Alaska’s vaccination plan is one of the most successful in the country and we have faith that the health care system is robust and prepared. My plan can get us there if we continue to keep an eye on the data and, Alaskans continue taking personal responsibility for their health and wellbeing. – Gov. Mike Dunleavy

The State of Alaska has issued three new Health Advisories:

Health Advisory 1 – Recommendations to Keep Alaskans Safe – Addresses the safety measures Alaskans can take to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Health Advisory 2 – International and Interstate Travel – While Alaska resident and non-resident travelers will no longer be required to have pre-travel negative tests upon arrival, it is still considered one of the best mechanisms to track the virus and prevent community spread. The existing airport testing infrastructure will remain in place to protect Alaskans and visitors alike. 

Anyone positive for COVID-19 is not allowed to travel.

Health Advisory 3 – Intrastate Travel – Outlines expectations of communities for allowing travel Critical Infrastructure personnel, as well as for community members and Critical Personal needs. The advisory recommends COVID testing three days prior to travel to locations on the road system and the Alaska Marine Highway System. For locations off the road system and the Alaska Marine Highway System, a test is recommended for trips lasting longer than 72 hours before returning to a rural community. Without a test, strict social distancing should be followed.

Health Advisory 4 – Critical Infrastructure – The advisory provides clear guidance for Critical Infrastructure businesses operating in Alaska to protect both communities and industries. 

“Throughout the response, the goal of the state has been to support and provide resources to communities and to Alaskans,” said Commissioner Adam Crum. “While we have amended our plans, we will continue to find ways to serve Alaskans as we transition to a recovery phase. We all know there is still a ways to go, but we are in this great position because of Alaskans continuing to do the right thing by protecting themselves and each other, and we will come out stronger on the other side, together.”

Governor Dunleavy will continue to follow what happens throughout Alaska and our healthcare system, and reserves the right to declare a future emergency if the data indicates stricter measures are needed to protect the health and wellbeing of Alaskans. 

35 COMMENTS

  1. Kind of a half measure. The “covid (wuhan v) test induces a positive infection result. You get the test to prove you are not infected and the test ‘infects’ you. You are then not ‘allowed’ to travel. A dichotomy between common sense and reality. The scam intensifies. Lies and double lies shall not affect the truth. The truth of the entire wuhan v scam being nothing more than a political enterprise to socialize/communize the world. Wake up Alaskans. The entire wuhan v scheme is to provide incentive to turn your (and your kids/grandkids) lives over to the leftists, complete with propaganda to ensure you never think for yourself again.

    • Really????
      Where have you been?
      That’s old news, in fact Biden is throttling the economy of the USA.
      And he’s not been on the job for a month yet. He’s going to replace economic growth with debt spending. And replace displaced workers with green jobs. How do I know that? He and his administration have said that!
      Of course, we are very optimistic that he’ll come through.That’s why we threw more votes his way than the 44th president got.

  3. It sure seems like the over 200 regulations that were suspended to help businesses during these emergency orders need to be reviewed with an eye towards completely removing them. If they weren’t needed during an emergency are they needed during nonemergent times or are they just excess regulations causing harm for no reason whatsoever.

  5. After living thru Sept 11, 2001 and Covid craze, I can see the way to steal Americans’ freedom and have the world nations follow us is after a crisis implemented as many “Safety protocols” immediately after the incident. Just as 2002, we never will return to what was normal between 2002-2019. It’s gone forever. In 2022 there be fewer freedoms until the next crisis brings on changes to make us all feel safer- a perception we are safer from our own and others’ mistakes by our new stricter restriction limits and rules set on what was already in use.

  6. While I appreciate the Commissioners comments about Alaskans “doing the right thing” – can I just say, if you didn’t mask up, double mask, triple mask, totally isolate yourself for a year, or destroy your lives work and livelihood, or someone else’s—that you STILL DID THE RIGHT THING. I could make a great STATISTICAL argument, that the RIGHT thing, would have been carrying on as close to Normal as possible. While I respect and acknowledge (when so many dont) that this state didn’t lock down like the others, I also have to acknowledge that those who were not a slave to fear, part of the hive mind, a Karen, or otherwise a useless idiot of some kind? are really the ones who got us thru this. If you had a pension, or a state job, and stayed at home, I don’t blame you one bit.. but if we are going to start
    Listing off the “heroes”? I’m going to start with the small business owners who found a way to Persevere. Not only is your business ESSENTIAL, but you are the reason we have any economy and any freedom. There is no
    Government without you- and to whatever extent government protects our GOD GIVEN rights, and that’s debatable that they do any of that at all- but if they do- they owe it all to you.

  8. With our Governor we have the ability to show that we do not need the Democratic Communist Party in DC. Dictating to us what we can and can not do. We have the resources and ability to not just get back to normal but achieve greatness. There are so many business opportunities we have here to where federal regulations can be bypassed if Our Governor is serious about progress.
    I would like to see a better agricultural model to where more of our food supply does not need as strong of a reliance on food that we do from being shipped up here. When a lot of the food we receive is not worth buying and when you get it home you have to throw it away because it is either spoiled or rotten tasting.

    • Rotten produce for sure. No matter how I wash and store it safely, the digestive issues are “gross” about 50 percent of the time. Organic or not, most of the produce I buy makes me sick, And I do take care of it properly. I sometimes wonder if it is contaminated in growing. I never have problems with the veggies I grow myself. Can’t wait for the spring and summer gardening season. Best to all.

      • I stopped eating plants, and now eat a carnivore diet.
        I am now in the best health of my entire life, and I not only feel like it, but my regular blood work reflects it too.

  9. All these lame lock downs are just so wrong.
    Health advisory 3
    So your telling me if I travel from Fairbanks to homer I need a COVID test.
    What about all the commuters from the valley to anchorage and back.
    Wait I better wear my mask in my own car all by myself, so I don’t get myself sick are you kidding me.

    But I’m Very Happy with the governor for dropping most of these lame rule, That I don’t follow.

  11. The only restrictions left in Alaska, besides President Biden’s mask mandates is, the Liberal Anchorage City Council.

    • Phil, there is NOTHING ‘liberal’ about the nine whackjobs on the Anchorage Assembly. They are intolerant authoritarians and fascists, pure and simple.

      • Juneau, Anchorage, both equal in being statist hellholes.
        .
        I have wondered for many years, what is it about living in cities (at least in North America) that drives so many people to revile and reject liberty, as well as to simply go insane?

        • Here is again a portion of a post recently describing you Jefferson: “Your personal spew is nothing more than political vomiting in the public square that passes for the blog forum in the modern world.”
          Now I hope you take this to heart and hold back on “your personal spew” as we all need the relief on here. I’m sure you see the humor here, right?

        • Actually Jefferson, we are all on here grieving over Rush’s passing and your constant gibberish is distracting from that. Heheh!

  12. Good Job Mike!!! Keep up the good work, don’t listen to the negative naysayers. It’s long past due to “completely” open up AK for business with ‘no’ restrictions, directives, and.or mandates … Freeing AK and Alaskans to live freely, returning to normalcy on the road to recovery.
    OPEN UP & LIVE LIFE!!!

  13. I’ve never understood the 3 day rule. You can leave for 3 days and be safe but on the 4th day all bets are off. Apparently the virus needs 3 days to hunt you down before it can attack and infect. This must tie in with the virus attacking people in bars after 10pm.

    • Jim, don’t you know that you are not supposed to (and soon will not even be allowed to) think and understand? All the COVID mandates and rules are not about health or safety, they are about this and this only: COMPLIANCE and OBEDIENCE.

    • And don’t forget, Jim, COVID cannot infect anyone involved with a Black Lives Matter or Antifa protest/riot/looterfest, no matter how many are involved or how close they congregate to each other. That’s science!

    • Interesting to note: I’ve not heard of one fine from the state on any of this. So it appears, one way or the other, this was all voluntary anyhow. Glad it’s gone, and would like to see the muni and villages follow suit, but it’s a good step.

  15. Thank you Governor for a voice of reason-isn’t the Vaccination the thing everyone was waiting for? So why not return our State to normal?

    Seems like we should be done with being scared to death

    Also watching now to see when the Flu comes back?

  16. If we are free to start our lives back to normal!! Why is the Governor and Crum, Zink telling us to still wear a mask, take the Covid 19 test and get the vaccine, practice social distancing. My normal was no mask wearing no vaccine no social distancing or Covid testing. I went back replayed all his live streams!! Shelley Hughes repeated the same msg!! What is the big picture!!

    • I thought it was because “masks are totally effective against the seasonal flu” but “useless against COVID unless you wear two, or better yet three masks, and believe they will work… you just gotta’ believe. C’mon, believe! Ok, we’re locking down again because you’re not believing hard enough.”

  19. Mask Covidiots is the new normal. There are very few men left as most are afraid of being looked at fun if they show their face in public. And, Oh my God, what if someone tells me to wear a mask,,,,The Horror of it all! America is nothing but a bunch of soy boys.

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