A vote to repeal a rule extending the closure of non-essential businesses failed 3-4 at a Wednesday, April 29 special meeting of Cordova City Council. The rule locally extends a closure of private facilities now being relaxed at the state level. Under the city’s current set of emergency procedures, the closure will expire May 20 if not renewed.
While reopening may make sense for communities like Anchorage which have a stable population, Cordova must remain cautious as the influx of summer fishery workers continues, City Manager Helen Howarth said. Cordova Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cathy Renfeldt said she had received mixed responses from local businesses regarding the extended closure.
April Horton, owner of Shags Hair Studio, implored the council to allow the reopening of small businesses capable of enforcing rigorous hygiene measures. Horton also questioned why the city had chosen to communicate new health measures mainly through social media and radio broadcast, rather than by notifying businesses directly.
“When I became a business owner of Cordova, I thought I was becoming a team member,” Horton said at the teleconferenced meeting, which was sometimes marred by poor audio quality. “If someone would reach out, it would show us that you are asking our businesses to be a part of that team. Our input is pivotal in providing those safety plans, and executing those plans … The residents of Cordova have been here all winter. They have the right to utilize my services.”
Unless the city plans to keep businesses shut down all year, there’s no reason not to consider opening them now, said Councilman Tom Bailer. Councilman Jeff Guard also voiced support for reopening businesses as quickly as possible, but emphasized the need to consult the city’s medical team beforehand.
Howarth denied that the city had been uncommunicative, pointing to the extremely rapid development of the pandemic, which has required quick decision-making by the council. Howarth praised the efforts of city staff and volunteers, some of whom have worked to the point of burnout, she said.
“Had I known [the pandemic] was on the horizon, I might have run fleeing from this position, but here I am, immersed in it, and I cannot tell you how thankful we all need to be for this community,” Howarth said. “Maybe we don’t always agree, but we certainly all have the interest of Cordova at heart… I know we’re not moving as fast as we want to, but you guys need to understand — everyone needs to understand — that the playing field changes almost daily.”
The city’s incident command team and medical team will draw up a plan setting criteria that must be met to begin relaxing local public health restrictions, Howarth said. The plan is expected to be available Wednesday, May 6, she said.
The city has processed more than 45 mutual aid agreements, which require business operators to adhere to certain coronavirus safety measures, Koplin said Tuesday, April 28. Though fishing vessels and brick-and-mortar businesses have complied well with the mutual aid agreement system so far, the city is still working to streamline the process, Koplin said.
The city is recruiting paid “ports of entry ambassadors” to greet incoming travelers and distribute information on state and local health mandates, Koplin said. The city is also recruiting paid custodians, as well as volunteer workers, he said.
“We will get through this together, but we have to do it 6 feet apart,” Koplin said.
As of April 29, 31 coronavirus tests have been carried out in Cordova, according to data published by the city. Twenty-three yielded negative results, with eight tests awaiting results. Local health care providers have a combined capacity to test about 902 people. Additional tests have been requested, Koplin said.
