Alaska businesses can open at full capacity on Friday and sports can resume, Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced Tuesday evening.
“Friday, we’re open for business across the state of Alaska,” Dunleavy said at a news conference.
Alaska will enter phase three and four of the government’s five-phasereopening plan simultaneously at 8 a.m. Friday. That means restaurants, bars, gyms, retail shops and other businesses can fully open. All churches, libraries and museums can too. Sports and recreational activities can resume, Dunleavy said. It’s the governor’s latest major lift of coronavirus-related restrictions. Previously, certain businesses could only operate at 25% to 50% capacity.
“It’ll all be open, just like it was prior to the virus,” Dunleavy said.
Over the past couple of months, Alaskans have helped keep the state’s number of coronavirus cases low, Dunleavy said, allowing the state to build up testing and other health-care capacity.
“The understanding we had with the people of Alaska was: Give us some time to build up our health-care capacity to deal with what we thought was going to be a spike,” Dunleavy said. “People of Alaska have given us that time. It’s come with great sacrifice. So we believe we can manage this virus. We have to manage this virus.”
Alaskans should continue to try to stay at least 6 feet apart from those not in their households, and remain careful about gathering in big groups, Dunleavy said. He said it will be up to businesses to decide how they’ll operate. The state is moving from mandates to guidelines, he said.
“We want to give businesses and entities opportunities to open up and conduct business like we used to, with the understanding that 6 feet or more from each individual is going to slow down the spread of that virus,” he said. “Sanitation, wiping down, washing hands is going to be crucial.”
Some mandates remain in place for now, including the 14-day quarantine requirement for people traveling into Alaska. The state is working with airlines and airports to come up with other protocols, so the mandate can be lifted, Dunleavy said.
Classrooms remain closed as the school year comes to an end. The state is asking Alaskans organizing large gatherings, such as concerts, to contact health officials to make sure there’s a proper plan in place.
Dunleavy said some communities may decide to loosen restrictions more slowly.