The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Alaska on March 12, 2020. On March 11, Governor Mike Dunleavy's office declared a state of emergency to ensure all entities have the necessary response resources. The next day, the first case, a foreign national in

Anchorage Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

, was announced to the public. As of July 2022, 71.9% of the state has received at least one vaccine dose and 52.7% has received a booster shot.

Impact

Ketchikan, Alaska, Estados Unidos, 2017-08-16, DD 01

On March 21, 2020, Ketchikan, a small, coastal town of approximately 8,000 residents located in

Southeast Alaska Southeast Alaska, colloquially referred to as the Alaska(n) Panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, bordered to the east and north by the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia (and a small part ...

was determined to have a cluster of six COVID-19 cases. The town sheltered in place for the following 14 days. On March 24, 2020, three more cases of COVID-19 were found in Ketchikan, bringing the total there to nine. The next day, the total cases there reached 11. On April 1, 2020, the number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Ketchikan rose to 14.

Measures

In early March, Governor Mike Dunleavy activated the State Emergency Operations Center under Alaska's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Joint Task Force-Alaska was stood up to provide a coordinated effort for the Alaska Army and

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

, the

Alaska State Defense Force The Alaska State Defense Force (ASDF) is the state defense force of Alaska. It is one of 23 such forces in the United States. The Alaska State Defense Force is administered under the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, but is headed ...

, and the

Alaska Naval Militia The Alaska Naval Militia (AKNM) is the official naval militia of the state of Alaska. The Alaska Naval Militia falls under control of the state of Alaska. The legal basis for the naval militia comes from both federal and state law. History The Al ...

to support the state. On March 13, Governor Dunleavy ordered public schools to close from March 16 to 30, which was later extended to May 1. School districts were advised to find ways to use remote learning, but there was concern about the impact on the youngest students, special ed students, and small and remote areas where online learning is more difficult. On March 17, Governor Dunleavy announced the creation of the Alaska Economic Stabilization Team (AEST). Effective March 18, restaurants were restricted to take-out and delivery, and entertainment venues such as movie theaters and gyms were closed. Then

Mayor of Anchorage This is a list of mayors of Anchorage, Alaska, United States. Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage was incorporated as a city (Alaska), city on November 23, 1920. The Greater Anchorage Area Borough, which encompassed the city, was created in January 1964 ...

Ethan Berkowitz Ethan Avram Berkowitz (born February 4, 1962) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician from Alaska. From 1997 to 2007 he was the Alaska State Representative for District 26, serving as the Democratic Party Minority Leader from 1999 t ...

issued an "emergency hunker down order" effective March 22. Some businesses were closed in

Fairbanks North Star Borough The Fairbanks North Star Borough is a borough located in the state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,665, down from 97,581 in 2010. The borough seat is Fairbanks. The borough's land area is slightly smaller than that o ...

and Ketchikan Gateway Borough. Some villages restricted air travel. Mike Dunleavy ordered everyone arriving in Alaska to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, effective March 25, with limited exceptions. On May 19, Governor Dunleavy announced the lifting of all state mandates for businesses and public gatherings, keeping only a mandatory (but unenforced) quarantine period for persons coming from out of state. In June 2020, Dunleavy announced a new extension of the two week quarantine measure that would require travelers visiting the state to present a negative test of the virus if they are not willing to self-quarantine for two weeks. As part of the United States' vaccination campaign, Dunleavy announced in April 2021 that the state would offer free vaccinations to tourists at major Alaskan airports starting June 1.

Remote communities

By March 22, some remote villages were attempting to isolate themselves. In the event of a COVID-19 case being identified in a remote community, the state plan is to transport the patient to a hub city for treatment rather than dispatching medical workers to the remote area.

Statistics

References

External links

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