Come Monday, some Anchorage businesses will be able to open up to the public for the first time in a month.
Specifics of what can open and under what circumstances will be released in written form Friday, Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz said during a Wednesday public address.
“What we are doing is driven by data,” Berkowitz said. “All the data that we have collected shows that we are in the right place, or moving toward the right place, in so many areas."
The news came on the heels of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s announcement Tuesday night that the state was accelerating its plan to open businesses, with some restrictions being lifted on Friday. Anchorage would follow by lifting some if its restrictions Monday, Dunleavy said.
Berkowitz said Anchorage’s plan will be based on the state’s, with some modifications. Dunleavy pledged to provide more details on what could open up on Wednesday evening.
Berkowitz addressed the public as more than 100 vehicles parked outside of the Loussac Library, protesting the mayor’s “hunker down” order. The mayor’s move to open up the city wasn’t quick enough for some of the protesters, who appreciated Dunleavy’s pledge to open up three days quicker.
They condemned the mayor for his emergency orders. One sign had Berkowitz’s face glued on to the body of Mao Zedong, former chairman of the People’s Republic of China, and an infamous communist dictator.
Berkowitz said he sympathizes with Anchorage residents that want to see the economy on the mend, but he disagrees with them on how quickly that can be done. As he has before, he said there is a much larger group of people not protesting, and following the “hunker down” order.
“As a decision-maker, I am much more prone to being persuaded than I am being pressured,” he said.
People in vehicles gathered to protest city and state mandates ordering the closure of businesses on Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at the Loussac library in midtown Anchorage. The mandates are intended to reduce the transmission rate of COVID-19. (Loren Holmes / ADN)
Berkowitz said the past month has allowed medical providers to develop the capacity to handle an increase in cases as residents and businesses have more freedom. That capacity is needed for people around the state that will rely on the medical infrastructure of Alaska’s largest city.
“It’s one of the reasons why we are moving a little bit more deliberately than the state is, in terms of opening things up,” Berkowitz said. “We have a responsibility here as the biggest city in the biggest state to make sure that as we open up, we are protecting not only our own community, but communities across Alaska.”
Anchorage Health Department Director Natasha Pineda said an increase in cases is anticipated.
“There will be a natural uptick in those cases,” Pineda said. “What we are working to establish is ensuring that we’re able to manage for that.”
Berkowitz did not have specifics on how Anchorage’s policy will differ from the state’s, but said he’s working with the governor’s team to limit confusion.
Anchorage does have the legal authority to impose more strict regulations than what is issued statewide, he said.
“There are going to be protocols that might involve having a certain amount of personal protective equipment and if those protocols can’t be met, then the businesses shouldn’t open,” Berkowitz said.
Just because businesses can open, doesn’t mean they have to, he said. Similarly, people do not need to patronize non-essential businesses.
“If you don’t have something critical to go do, you shouldn’t go do it,” Berkowitz said.
When asked about permitting some activities while at the same time discouraging them, Berkowitz said, “I’m not going to a tattoo parlor. It’s not critical for me to go to a tattoo parlor, I would not encourage members of my family to go to a tattoo parlor.
“Now is not the time for that,” he continued. “This is part of a risk calculus that businesses have to ask themselves. Even if they are opened up, will the business exist?”
The move to set a specific date for opening up nonessential businesses was a shift for the mayor. On Monday, when asked if there was a date to start opening businesses up, Berkowitz rejected the idea of setting a date.
“I think we need to change the question from when to what,” he said at the time.
During the Wednesday address, Berkowitz said he has not decided if he plans to move to a “phase two” of the reopening plan on May 8, as the state does.
Berkowitz said he has worked extensively with the state in deciding how to move forward. But when asked if he planned for Anchorage residents to find out about local restrictions being lifted from the governor during a public briefing, he said, “the governor and I are still learning how to work well together in a seamless way."
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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