As the state’s emergency declaration expired Sunday, Alaska will no longer require travelers to have a negative COVID-19 test when arriving in the state, Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced Sunday when outlining plans for the state to transition into a recovery phase.
Dunleavy ordered his commissioners and state employees to continue following the policies that were in place under the declaration. However, officials will spend the next number of weeks reviewing which policies are still needed.
“My administration will begin moving Alaska, its economy, and our lives forward through this transition and recovery course,” Dunleavy stated in a statement. “Make no mistake about it, the virus may be with us for a while. But the data shows that the worst is most likely behind us.”
Alaska has had 54,282 complete resident instances of the virus as of Monday, and 280 Alaskans have died. The state, which has a population of about 728,000, has given 175,135 vaccine doses
“No matter what metrics you look at, Alaska is doing fairly good, probably better than most states,” Dunleavy stated at a news conference. “And so this gives us the confidence that as we move ahead, we’re going to continue to manage this virus as properly or better than most other locales.”
The state issued several new health advisories Sunday, including removing the need for a negative test for travelers. However, Dunleavy stated travelers can still get tests when they arrive at airports within the state if they wish for the next few months. These tests won’t be free of cost, the Republican governor stated. Previously, non-Alaska residents were charged $250 for the tests.
Another advisory continues to encourage Alaskans to wear masks and social distance. Alaska has never had a statewide mask mandate.
Dunleavy’s orders don’t affect what guidelines put in place by municipalities, such as Anchorage. The state’s largest city has a mask mandate in place.
