Cordova will follow the state in tweaking public health mandates to allow fishery workers greater freedom of travel. At a Wednesday, June 10 special meeting, Cordova City Council voted unanimously to locally implement a state mandate allowing critical infrastructure workers arriving from out of state to skip a 14-day quarantine if they follow a community protective plan filed by their employer. The mandate will go into effect at 8 a.m. Thursday, June 11.
This revised version of Alaska COVID-19 Health Mandate 10 went into effect elsewhere in the state Saturday, June 6. Under this version Mandate 10, out-of-state arrivals must either present a negative coronavirus test result from within the 72 hours prior to their departure; undergo testing upon arrival and self-quarantine until a negative result is returned; or, if the traveler is a critical infrastructure worker, abide by their employer’s community protective plan on file with the state. Arrivals not meeting any of these criteria are required to self-quarantine for 14 days at their own expense.
Councilwoman Anne Schaefer supported the resolution but said she hoped community members wouldn’t grow overly relaxed as mandates were lifted.
“Honestly, I do have personal anxieties about the new travel guidelines for out-of-state travelers, but we do have to continue to open up and learn how to live with this virus,” Schaefer said. “We all need to keep in mind that we have a personal responsibility now to keep ourselves and the community safe and healthy.”
City council’s decision was supported by recommendations from the Cordova Medical Team. In a Monday, June 8 letter to the city council, Cordova Community Medical Center Medical Director Dr. Hannah Sanders wrote that Cordova had developed a strong capacity to respond to any potential increase in coronavirus cases that could emerge during the coming weeks or months.
“As the state opens back up, it’s up to all of us, not just the industry, to work together to do the best we can to limit the spread of the virus,” said Mayor Clay Koplin in a Tuesday, June 9 announcement. “[State and fishing industry leaders] reiterated several times that the responsibility is now passed from state and city restrictions and mandates onto individual processors and businesses and citizens to follow their plans and follow the good protective measures. That’s what’s going to prevent the spread.”
At the June 10 meeting, city council also voted unanimously to extend its declaration of emergency to August 20, at which point it will expire automatically if not renewed.
Masks still required
While the Cordova Medical Team supported revising travel restrictions, it recommended against lifting the city’s current rules on facial covering and business sanitation measures. Under Emergency Rule 15, individuals unable to practice social distancing from non-household members must wear a facial covering unless they are performing or receiving a service that cannot be adequately carried out while wearing a mask, or while the individual is eating or drinking while otherwise in compliance with public health mandates.
Councilwoman Cathy Sherman said she understood public impatience with mask mandates, but that she thought it best to follow the recommendations of state and local health experts. Sherman also asked for greater respect to be shown toward individuals wearing masks, some of whom, she said, had been subjected to critical comments or had been deliberately coughed on.
“It is an effective measure,” Councilman Jeff Guard said. “None of us like it, but it is an effective measure that protects those in the community that are more vulnerable.”
Councilman David Allison said that, while people should wear masks, using mandates to make them do it is the wrong approach.
“I’m not in favor of any government mandate that can’t be enforced, which this can’t be,” Allison said. “I think our time is better off spent, rather than making it an unenforceable government regulation, in encouraging and educating people on the pros of doing that activity.”
In a June 9 interview with Cordova Radio, Koplin recommended that all community members, especially fishermen, get tested for coronavirus to make sure that the spread of the virus is limited and that the fishing season remains undisrupted. As of June 10, 670 coronavirus tests had been conducted in Cordova, according to data released by the city. Of those tests, 658 were negative and 11 were awaiting results. Community health care providers currently have the capacity to perform 1,100 tests.
