Over the objection of numerous people who testified at the Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday night, Mayor Ethan Berkowitz says he has prepared an ordinance that will mandate face coverings in Anchorage when people are in public places.
If he does, the Assembly likely will not be able to muster the two-thirds vote it would take to override the mayor if he pulls the trigger on the order.
Assembly member Meg Zalatel was prepared to offer a resolution on Tuesday to support a mask mandate, but she did not do so after the mayor’s announcement that he was on the verge of going ahead with his ordinance, which he can do with his emergency powers. The Assembly has voted twice on a mask mandate, and it failed both times, 5-6.
“We have prepared an ordinance that will require the wearing of masks under certain circumstances,” Berkowitz said. “That order is ready and could be implemented at any time.”
Berkowitz said he is likely to implement the ordinance week, depending on the number of new cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus. He would allow people a few days to acquire masks before the ordinance would go into effect.
Some 502 Alaskans are known to have recovered from the COVID-19 virus, which has, to date, infected 778 Alaskans. There are 264 known active cases among Alaskans as of Tuesday. Twelve Alaskans have died who were known to have the virus, although it’s not evident that they died from the virus itself. Those who died were already seriously ill or very old. Two of those 12 died while out of state being cared for because of other illnesses.
Last week, Berkowitz said it was “entirely at this point up to the public,” saying people either begin wearing masks when in groups or stores or he’ll enact a mandate.
Several people testifying at Tuesday’s Assembly meeting objected. Some said they felt masks were actually unhealthy because they reduced oxygen levels.
Margaret Anderson said she purchased a blood oxygen monitor at a pharmacy and discovered that after wearing a mask for 20 minutes her oxygen level dropped 5 points. She suggested that every Assembly member purchase such a device and try the experiment on themselves.
Another member of the public offered that since the Wuhan virus can get into eyes, people should also be forced to wear goggles, and since beards interfere with a seal on masks, men should be forced to shave their bears. She was being facetious to make her point that the mandate is a bad idea.
Others offered the “My Body, My Choice” theory on masks, referring to the pro-abortion arguments that people have the right to choose what is right for them — if it’s ok to choose to have an abortion, why is it not ok to choose whether to wear a mask?
One testifier said that there is a growing local trend of public shaming for those who cannot wear masks, such as her son, who has medical issues related to developmental disabilities. She warned the Assembly that the shaming is a real issue and there have been verbal attacks on people who have medical and psychological conditions that prevent them from wearing coverings over their nose and mouth.
And… I still have not met anyone who personally knows anyone who either has or had Covid19. Not one! My friends and family in Michigan, the same thing. People that I work with from around the country, same thing. People that I meet in restaurants or in passing on the street, SAME THING! NOT ONE PERSON, PERSONALLY KNOWS ANYONE WHO HAS OR HAS HAD COVID19! The medical professionals that I know say that most of the suspected Covid19 cases that they see are definitely NOT Covid19.
Someone explain this to me…
Try the morg in Florida.
I will not comply period.
Masks don’t do much at all. Distancing works better. No mandate. But really don’t care cause I will not comply
It is past time for massive civil disobedience.
Who cares man, are you that popular that your supposed to know somebody that has COVID-19
Read it again Jason, you missed it. It’s not about me or how many infected people that I personally know.
And Greg – Do you work for the WHO, DNC or UN? Because you tow the propaganda so well… Do some research for yourself instead of regurgitating the talking point of the Left. It’s not difficult to find out that we are being lied to, the question is why?
Everyone else – If you are afraid, take personal actions to protect yourself. Wear a mask, stay home or whatever you have to do to protect YOU and stop trying to force others to comply with your will. This is turning into George Orwell’s 1984 and I for one, will NOT comply! If you own a business and ask me to wear a mask in your business I will, because that is YOUR property. However you have no right to tell other what to do on their property or publicly out in Gods free air!
I will not comply. See Berkowitz and any member of the Assembly in Court.
I wont either
“Bear” shaving would be quite the extreme sport 😉
What a little Napoleon, clueless California libtard. You’re done in the state dude, you’ve raised taxing and spending to unsustainable levels. Only so much blood can be sucked from citizens. Invention 2020 trumps anything you will ever accomplish with under cover moves that will only raise property taxes. Worst mayor Anchorage has ever had.
Medical professionals wear N95 masks. Carpenters wear N95 masks. Miners, oil workers, painters… all wear respiratory protective devices of some sort when necessary. It’s basic PPE. If there is an issue with oxygen, I think these people would know by now.
Not everyone has N95 masks Jerry. They have cloth masks… Apples and Oranges.
Over 5000 here today. Mask up peeps.
Over 5,000 what today?
I am not a medical professional, a carpenter, a miner, an oil worker, or a painter.
What’s your point?
You want to wear one?
Go ahead, wear two or three at a time if you like. Keep several in your pockets. Hand them out in the street. Or….OR a better idea: cram ’em!
Slow down there Karen Berkowitz… a “mandate” seems an unnecessary stretch and an abuse of your authority. I may be disinclined to comply, simply to make a statement on principal, and I have a feeling that I may not be the only one with this line of thinking.
I notice that when I am forced to wear a mask, I get VERY tired. I can barely keep my eyes open. As one friend told me, “You’re asphyxiating “. Certainly feels like it!
Cloth face masks have been shown to increase the incidence of upper respiratory infections. See this fairly okay, but not perfect, study (attempted blind control group, largish population size). Cochrane has indicated that studies of this kind have one downfall, which is that they can never achieve a perfect, blinded control group. That said, this one comes close and is pretty good. Check out what they found:
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25903751/
[Live link removed by moderator.]
This is not about wearing a mask or not wearing one it is about “do as I say or else” because I say so….
Stop speeding and running red lights too.
You are comparing the wrong things those are laws on the books a Mask Mandate is nether Constitutional or a Law so go back to the basement little boy.
Really Greg, you are a pain in the a$$.
“Karen Berkowitz” is the funniest thing I’ve heard all day!
If I’m forced to wear one of these useless masks I will be writing slogans on mine that the liberals will not enjoy.
Masks are simply another part of the ongoing culture war. Compliance enforced by dishonest hypocrites.
I have yet to wear a mask and I will not wear a mask. The mayor is acting like God and I do not serve him. He a bully. I loved the woman who called him out on him on not wearing a mask when she see’s him about and she’s his neighbor. He’s a hypocrite and his leadership is a disgusting example of how socialism plays out when government is not checked. It’s only the beginning of what’s could happen if we the people don’t find our voices!
Will not comply. Illegal mandate. Will see Berkowitz and any Assembly Member who votes in favor in court.
He can order it all he wants, but he can’t enforce it. Quite frankly I don’t see why Governor Dunleavy can’t just tell Berkowitz to stuff it. Dunleavy is the Governor and the authority over the State of Alaska. Berkowitz is a peon and his mandates don’t override the mandates of the State or any mandates by the President of the United States of America. Alaska is not a socialist or communist state, and my rights under the constitution outweigh Berkowitz’s right to be an idiot.
If your submission scarf lacks a very large 666 over your mouth, then you’re not really with the mayor’s program.
My teenage son was recently celebrating his graduation with a young woman he knew from school and started having blisters and pain on his private parts. After some tests the family doctor just told us he has an STD. I asked my kid if he was wearing a condom. He said he refused to wear a condom for the same reason he refuses to wear a mask. Good answer. I am proud of his refusal to be bullied by the social and political dictates of the liberals. From now on when I see someone wearing a mask I’m going to ask if they are also wearing a condom for protection. If a lot of people do this I predict that in two weeks no one will be wearing a mask.
I don’t live in Anchorage. The little creep is making sure, for me, that I don’t visit Anchorage and spend my hard earned money in a communist city. For me, now, Amazon all the way. Anchorage, you had better wake up and smell the berkowitz sewer. Nothing good will come of the idiot trying to force Alaskans to ignore their rights in favor of his BS. Notice a county in Oregon just “passed” an ordinance requiring white citizens to wear masks in public, but not black people. The little fella will, most likely, move to equal that ordnance or ‘one up’ it with his own, not to be outdone by some Oregon leftist “politicians”. Leftism reeks, no matter how it appears or where it is.
There is a lot of “virtue signaling” involved with the mask issue and not a lot of actual confirmed science. I just posted the following on the Anchorage Daily Planet’s editorial on the subject:
“A lot of debate exists on the use of masks in a pandemic. There are not any consistent studies showing even medical grade masks are very effective against viruses that typically are attached to particles less than 2.5 micrometers.
They are effective at trapping bacterial particles that are much larger. Medical grade masks were originally made for Doctors and operating room teams to prevent their bacteria from entering patients open wounds or incisions. Even then they are discarded after each operation in a biologically secure waste facility that all hospitals have.
The fact that they do trap bacteria and that people wear them for long periods, often without any effort to sanitize them, poses a threat of bacterial infection for those wearing them. Also some people have problems breathing with a properly fitted mask, making them inadvertently loosening them. It is unreasonable to assume that the bulk of the general population will adhere to a hospital’s sanitation protocol. Current gross studies of the Covid-19 pandemic data from different countries are inconclusive because of differences in cultural behavior, population age demographics, and even genetic resistance to the virus.”
Conclusion? The “Science is NOT settled!”
I wore a n95 for 36 hours. Still here.
Why not put it on and never take it off? Do us all a favor.
our mayor remind me of the kid in third grade that gets an appointment as recess monitor complete with a badge and whistle and it goes to his head. I will not comply.
Keep your mask over your own face, Berkowitz. Preferably one that keeps your mouth shut. I will not be forced to wear a mask. Ever. You are stripping the liberties away from citizens. Classic socialist move. You are demanding business to comply. Let the people that want to wear them do so. Leave the rest of us alone. My body, my choice, right? Come and get me please! I will see you in court. And the first Karen that accosts me best be prepared for the verbal assault that will rain down upon him/her. It will be epic. I will, however, do it at a social distance as to not get any “liberal” on me.
I have a question. Has anyone seen any statistics showing how many who test positive never get sick? How many never infect anyone else? I really don’t think masks work but each business (or homeowner) has the right to require them in their building. Just as I have the right where I go. This is just getting out of hand!
Exactly, Bonnie. Businesses should have the right to say, “no mask, no entry” if they choose. Then, if you choose not to comply, then don’t shop there. It doesn’t need to be mandated -dictated – from the quisp cereal boy. Pretty simple.
.
Riddle me this: does Berkowitz have a team of mask police (ones that he doesn’t de-fund) that is going to span the city in search of non-compliance? What is his team of mask police going to do? Smack you on the hand with a ruler? Put you on the back of their bicycle and peddle you to the police station? Hopefully I will be near any street corner in this city when they come for me and I will stand tall with the street people and hold a sign begging for weed or something – then they can’t touch me, right?
No. You can test positive and always be able to spread it.
First I am in no way a supporter or agree with the Mayor’s handling of the mandates for Anchorage during this Pandemic. He has governed the crisis by using it to show he is better than Governor Dunleavy purely for ego and political ambitions. Governor Dunleavy has done an excellent job of managing the virus both in urban areas and the Bush.
The Mayor’s refusal to follow the Governor’s mandates and insisting on delay and changing minor differences only shows how political and petty he can be. An example was the opening of businesses. The Governor issued a modified mandate and opened businesses on a Friday but the Mayor issued his own guidelines essentially the same but delaying the opening from Friday to Monday. Anchorage businesses that did everything to prepare for the State opening had to inform staff and clients sorry but we can’t open until Monday. One business I am personally aware of set up all the requirements, called clients that hadn’t been in for months and scheduled appointments and opening on the Saturday after the State opening. Then the word came out that the Mayor would be sending his Covid-19 inspectors out to issue $1000 per tickets to businesses and possibly employee. Also threatening license revocation to do business. As a result they had to call and tell their clients that their appointments were cancelled for Saturday and Sunday and rescheduled beginning Monday per the Mayor’s mandate. They couldn’t take the chance of the fines and the embarrassment of inspectors disrupting their business, clients or license loss.
Yes the Mayor has an enforcement staff and a $1000 fine for violating his dictates and other enforcement tools.
Next we have become a society in which everyone believes they have no obligations to be concerned with following laws but cry about non-Existent Constitutional rights. There is no separation of Church and State in the Constitution but a liberal Supreme Court decision interpreting the doctrine and giving meaning where none exists. There is also no right to an abortion in the Constitution but again a liberal court decision giving you the right by interpretation of invisible rights. The same Supreme Court ruled on the governments powers require citizens to comply with mandates to control during public emergencies and pandemics even if it violates your express rights under the Constitution based on the larger public welfare over the individuals. They can confine you by quarantine, force to take a vaccine and close your business and much more. I have discussed this Supreme Court decision in previous posts. Think about this please, if what the President, Governors, and Mayors have mandated across the nation has violated your Constitutional rights. Why haven’t the ACLU, Democrats and every liberal in the Country filed lawsuits challenging the mandates and liberal judges issued cease and desist order’s canceling the mandates. Only one or two have been challenged based on flaws in disparate treatment. Even churches lost their case to reopen without restrictions. They have over everything else the President has done and most of his actions have been upheld by the Supreme Court. Wouldn’t the Democrats be in full blown impeachment mode again if he exceeded his authority!
Death and safety are not your personal concern unless it is your own death or safety. If you want to take a chance on getting the virus and surviving or dying be my guest. I encourage you to do everything possible to prove our leaders and health professionals wrong. But when your personal actions endanger my wife’s, my families, friends and other people you do not have any rights to do as you want. Much of society today has been trained to believe that the only thing in life that has any value is you personally. No one else matters. Well your wrong and you do owe a duty to others and society to do no intentional harm or cause their death.
Many countries and hundreds of medical professionals agree the wearing the masks and social distancing has a positive effect on reducing virus transmission and recommend wearing them. In today’s world with mass media you will always find people arguing over any issue whether they have any qualifications at all. 200 Alaska doctors have asked the Governor to make masks mandatory and the President has received the same advice from the CDC and experts. But neither the President or Governor dare to make that decision because of what their political enemies will do with their decision.
Alaska has an advantage other states except HI does not have. Distance and small remote populations. The rising numbers of seafood and out of State workers show what could happen if the virus spreads even with testing, quarantine and masks.
So do as you want at your personal risk, but if contact tracing reveals you are the responsible person for causing the death of any of my family members or friends. I may exercise my Constitutional right to have a serious conversation with you about your personal choices. Not a threat but a solemn promise so help me GOD.
Phil, seriously, relax Dude. This virus has an extraordinarily low mortality rate. You and your family will be just fine. Hide in your hobbit hole for the rest of your lives if you want. Influenzas A and B will be back in a few months so better stay hidden!
If you want to blame folks for the apparent uptick of spreading going around then look no further than the BLM/defund the police/destroy America riots/protests. Ah, yes, but no contact tracing happened for those non-mask-wearing, non-social-distancing anarchists, did it? Even that idiot Karen Berkowitz was a supporter of THOSE “mass” gatherings because he believed in the cause. What a hypocritical joke.
This is from a friend and one of the Co-Founders of TNALC:
UPDATED CV19 RESEARCH RESULTS
No, I’m not a doctor, or scientist, or microbiologist or nurse… but I know a lot of them and I have been researching this CV19 “pandemic” for weeks now and verifying all of my findings with a group of these friends, to make sure that what I post is indeed “factual.” Anyone who knows me personally will confirm that I am a very good researcher. I don’t stop until I know I have the facts.
I have suspected this information for weeks now, but have just verified those suspicions.
CV19 is an elevated strain of SARS-CoV2… which has been in the USA since 2003. This is why people had it even before news of the Wuhan Flu released in early January 2020.
From the CDC – “Corona-viruses are a large family of viruses that are known to cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).”
Since 2003, these viruses have been added to your FLU vaccines. Most people who do NOT test positive today, are people who did NOT take any flu vaccines since at least 2003.
Most people who have had a flu vaccination since 2003 WILL test positive for CV19 today, even though there isn’t a CV19 specific test yet. The “coronavirus” in your system is “dormant” if you are “asymptomatic.”
There are TWO Coronavirus tests, the swab test, which is designed to confirm the presence of SARS-CoV2, which scientists believe to be the foundation for the CV19 strain. When you test positive using this test, you are testing positive for SARS-CoV2…. which has been in the Flu Vaccine since 2003. – The antibodies blood test is looking for proof that your body is or has built immunity antibodies to the virus, again, not CV19 specifically, SARS-CoV2.
If your body does NOT confirm antibody build up, then Coronavirus is NOT in your system. If you tests positive for antibodies to Coronavirus, and you are asymptomatic, then your immune system has already built a defense to these viruses.
Because the air-born Coronavirus droplet can be 1/4 the size of droplets captured by any of the masks people are wearing, none of the masks are effective against passage of this disease. (From Mayo Clinic Reports.)
So, due to vaccinations since 2003, almost every person who has had a flu vaccine will test positive for CV19 (actually SARS-CoV2) via a swab test. It does NOT mean you have CV19.
If you are asymptomatic, you are NOT sick.
Last, how many times in your life have you been told that YOU ARE SICK but NOT contagious? What was the determining factor in making that medical decision?
A fever was the determining factor, which is why medical facilities check your temperature on entry and do not require you to wear a mask in most facilities, if you are not running a fever.
I encourage everyone to CHECK MY FACTS for yourself. But we CANNOT rely on any politically motivated “fact-checkers” in that process.
You can’t fight what you don’t know… so, why am I forced to tell you this information? Why isn’t this information common knowledge?
TNALC.org is a research and strategic planning organization. Each state must address this separately within the state. TNALC stands ready to research conditions is each state and prepare a carefully crafted strategy for success in your state. Contact TNALC.org for further information.
Yeah. more BS pontificating by the little Napolean. Not a chance of enforcing this BS, never happening in my world.
The masks are only are for containing the BACTERIA in the moisture from the user’s nose and mouth thus the use in the medical field. It’s a government overreach and a way for these little pretentious “dictators” to instill fear and control. Berkowitz is just another corrupt hack of a politician but no less than the corrupt trash we have in America’s Congress….It’s all about testing us to see how far we can be manipulated. I would have taken this “new plague” more seriously IF it wasn’t directed at shutting down small businesses that have thrived under our business mogul POTUS. The ones that were in direct competition with the giant corporations, like Amazon for instance. WHY didn’t the USPS shut down?? Because Amazon used them to regain billions in lost revenue due to the now crippled or bankrupt small businesses. Berkowitz seems to be just another bought and paid career politician. He and so many others here care nothing about our health and safety and have forgotten that their “job” is to PROTECT our freedoms.
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