By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Another emergency Assembly meeting has been set up for Tuesday to consider a proposed amendment to the city’s 14-day quarantine for workers coming into Sitka.
City Administrator John Leach asked for the special meeting to address some problems that have come up regarding the workforce needed by contractors working on critical city, federal and state infrastructure, including projects at the wastewater treatment plant, the Crescent Harbor reconstruction, and Sawmill Creek Road.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at Harrigan Centennial Hall and has one agenda item:
“An Emergency Ordinance of the City and Borough of Sitka amending Emergency Ordinance 2020-14 by adding an exception to the 14-day self-quarantine obligation when people arriving in Sitka are working at essential services and critical workforce infrastructure as approved by the Municipal Administrator.”
The language of the amendment was still being crafted at press time today.
Emergency Ordinance 2020-14 is similar to the state Mandate 10 requiring the “self-quarantine for international, interstate, and intrastate travel, and require businesses qualifying as ‘critical workforce infrastructure’ to submit and receive approval from the State of Alaska a plan or protocol to protect its workers and the people of the State of Alaska from the virus ...”
One difference between the city’s ordinance and state Mandate 10 is that the city’s rules do not allow for quarantining at the worksite.
“That’s what we’re hoping to fix on Tuesday, is some language that will allow me to grant an exemption for them to quarantine at the work site after they submit an approved mitigation plan,” said Leach.
Assembly members Thor Christianson and Kevin Mosher are co-sponsors of the ordinance to amend 2020-14.
Leach said the companies have state-approved plans, shared with the city, for mitigating the risk of spreading COVID in the community. Those include screening and quarantines, and no interaction with the public during their time in Sitka.
“The ordinance didn’t give me any leeway to grant exceptions (to the city’s required 14-day quarantine),” he said.
Christianson said the amendment is being proposed to accommodate public works projects under way that have been put on hold following the Assembly’s passage of the self-quarantine ordinance.
“It’s small numbers of people for a few specific projects that are super- necessary for the town,” Christianson said.
At least five Assembly votes – a supermajority – are needed to pass an emergency ordinance.
