By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Gov. Mike Dunleavy has asked Mayor Gary Paxton about the concerns Sitkans would have if he “reopens” portions of the economy.
Paxton was just one of the mayors across the state that Dunleavy contacted Thursday to talk about winding down some of the emergency mandates he put into effect over the past month.
“There are things we would be concerned about if we opened up again,” Paxton said today.
At press time today, a plan was in place for Paxton to talk to the governor again, and for city administrator John Leach to take part.
“The governor is going to make the decision about whether we open again after consulting with all the communities,” said Leach. “As a stakeholder we have to provide him with our concerns and how to control it if it does open. How to scale it, how do we approach it carefully.”
There have been no cases of the contagious viral COVID-19 disease in Sitka, and last week the city government amended the local shelter-in-place resolution to make it effective though May 12 unless terminated earlier by the Assembly.
The city has been abiding by the dozen or so COVID-19 mandates the governor issued on such matters as social distancing, closure of schools and non-essential businesses, and quarantining of travelers coming into the state. The Assembly added a local version of the one requiring companies to get advance approval from the state before bringing in out-of-state workers. The city is requiring the city administrator’s OK of these plans, which in general would require the workers to be under supervised quarantine for 14 days after arrival.
Leach said today he’s working with Assembly members on a response to the governor, including concerns expressed by local health officials and emergency responders. Leach said he talked over the weekend with Dr. Elliot Bruhl, SEARHC chief medical officer, about health providers’ concerns.
Leach said today he knows the “reopening” issue is important to the community. He and other city officials have been receiving calls and correspondence from across the spectrum, from those who want to maintain the shelter-in-place policy to those who favor reopening all business.
Leach described the city’s response to the governor as “a quick snapshot of community concerns” if the governor takes action to “reopen” parts of the economy.
“Major overarching concerns are interstate and intrastate travel restrictions – we need to know what those are,” Leach said. “What are the fishing industry guidelines and the restrictions; what are cruise ship and tourism guidelines and restrictions; and what is the method for us to enforce any future mandates coming to us from the governor’s office.”
Some of the general concerns by the community, he said, are that:
– adequate testing be readily available before moving forward to reopening, and that at-risk people continue to shelter in place.
– screening requirements continue for those coming into the community.
– health care facilities not be overwhelmed – also known as “flattening the curve.”
The governor has also been talking about reopening retail stores, restaurants and bars, and city buildings.
In general, Leach said, with any store or local building opening up, the city recommended a limitation of one person per 50 square feet, to allow for a six-foot social distance, and employees.
Leach also listed concerns and recommendations the city would have if the governor were to allow barber shops, beauty salons, chiropractic and physical therapy centers to reopen. These might need to follow the state’s guidelines for elective surgical procedures as they relate to human contact, he said.
He said if the governor allows such organizations as dance and gymnastic studios to open, the city would be interested in requiring an action plan (similar to the seasonal worker mandate) addressing how they would minimize contact and stay within the CDC guidelines.
