The corporation of Anchorage will remove the Covid-19 capacity restrictions on its businesses and ease the size limit under a new emergency order taking effect on Monday morning.
Demonstrating a drop in cases and an increasing proportion of anchor residents vaccinating, city officials said Thursday that the order to lift some public restrictions opens up parts of the city that maintain vital public health protections. They insisted that this spring continued you hope to be constantly vigilant that it will be the same as a normal summer.
Masking and social distance requirements will be in effect. Emergency Order 19 requires individuals to wear face masks or masks in public and to stay at least 6 feet away from outsiders when possible.
“We all know that this epidemic will not end overnight or with a pen jolt,” Acting Mayor Austin Stein Quinn-Davidson said during a community briefing Thursday afternoon.
She said the city has come a long way since March, when officials were “making planes and flying.” ”
“Now we need to land the plane safely. “The best way we can all experience a normal summer is to mark the Covid-19 this spring,” said Quinn-Davidson.
As of Monday, there will be no capacity restrictions on retail and public facing businesses, but they will have to operate in a way that allows customers to stay 6 feet apart from those outside their home.
The new emergency order will take effect at 8 a.m. Monday
Indoor gatherings with food and drink can accommodate up to 25 people, and gatherings without food and drink for up to 35 people.
Eating outdoor gatherings where people eat and drink can be up to 60 people, and people who do not eat and drink can be up to 100 people.
Capacity restrictions for bars bars and restaurants are lifted, but masks are required and there must be a 6-foot distance between groups of supporters.
Alcohol is served until 2 p.m.
Even entertainment facilities like theaters can function at full capacity as long as people wear masks and there is a distance of 6 feet between groups.
• Gym and fitness center can function at full capacity, although masks and social distance are also required.
Janet Johnston, an epidemiologist at the Anchorage Health Department, described the changes as “growth rates.” He said he believes that as more people continue to be vaccinated they will feel more comfortable going out to Anchorage.
The Covid-1 case rate in Anchorage was similar to that of the previous fall, with a sharp rise in cases and a threat to strip the city’s health care capacity of staff due to a shortage of intensive care unit beds.
What makes this moment different, Johnston said, is the advent of a COVID-19 vaccine that is given to most frontline health care workers. In addition, most seniors in the municipality have been vaccinated, which could reduce the number of people seriously ill and potentially hospitalized, he said.
“Normally when we lift sanctions, we will see a slight increase in cases, increasing vaccine coverage should help in declining cases. So we hope that the balance that will come in the short term, and in the long run, will start to bring the case down. “
At anchor so far, 65,689 people have received at least the first dose of their vaccine.
Even when special capacity limits were removed on restaurants, distance is necessary, as is the mask when not eating-drinking, said municipal attorney Kate Vogel. The new order gives businesses more relief, but the order can still be enforced, Vogel said.
“The thing that’s leading to capacity limits is the same need we’ve been doing for months, to keep different groups of customers a foot away from each other,” Vogel said.
Robert Kilby, co-owner of the 907 Allhouse, recalled leaving the city In the lockdown around last St. Patrick’s Day Year, and to cancel the planned celebration and concert of the bar.
This year, corned beef and cabbage are back on the menu, though there will be no live music, he said.
“This is a much better place than we were a year ago, so nothing but positive vibrations and hopefully by summer we’ll be able to do some celebrations again,” Kilby said. “
With social distance requirements, the 907 Allhouse will operate at about 80% capacity, he said. The restaurant may again serve patrons on its strip, but Kilby said he expects it to be a little before the party atmosphere that once returned to the venue.
Still, the mayor’s announcement felt like a positive step in the right direction, he said.
“I hope this just continues in this direction and we don’t have any kind of shock.”
Despite a drop in case counts and an increase in population vaccinations, city health officials drew their concerns about the ging-dated COVID-19 variant that has been shown to be more transmissible than the usual strain already spreading in Alaska. They noted the importance of testing and quarantining after the trip.
“We’ve come this far, and I know a lot of people are tempted to throw up their hands prematurely and declare victory,” Quinn-Davidson said. “Let’s not make that mistake.”
