Anchorage's Emergency Mask Ordinance is likely to expire next week.
A press release issued by the Anchorage Assembly this afternoon says that since hospitals have recovered capacity and covid cases have been in decline, the threshold for the emergency mask ordinance to expire will likely be met by next week.
A press release issued by the Anchorage Assembly this afternoon says that since hospitals have recovered capacity and covid cases have been in decline, the threshold for the emergency mask ordinance to expire will likely be met by next week.
The emergency ordinance co-sponsors Assembly Members Meg Zaletel and Pete Petersen are preparing to introduce a resolution at the December 7 Assembly Meeting to end the mask requirement. If the expiration threshold is met and the resolution passes, masks will not be required for indoor public spaces starting December 8.
The emergency ordinance was passed on October 14 by a vote of 9-2 at a time when local hospitals were besieged by waves of unvaccinated individuals and as covid cases were the highest Anchorage had seen since the pandemic began.
“We thank the community for your hard work to protect our city against this public health crisis,” said Petersen. “We couldn’t have done this without everyone—medical professionals, business owners, employees and individuals—coming together and each making a sacrifice for the greater good of our community.”
Zaletel added “We had alarming rates of transmission, a mask requirement and other health recommendations were put into place, and the rates came down. Masks are a simple, cheap and highly effective way to combat this virus, so even though they are no longer mandatory, they are still strongly recommended for indoor public areas. With the new omicron variant lurking on the horizon, we still need to exercise caution and good health practices.”
According to the press release, Assembly Members are keeping tabs on how the omicron variant affects hospitals and may enact new COVID mitigations in the future if warranted.
In reporting published today by NPR, scientists in South Africa say they now have evidence that the omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads more than twice as quickly as the delta variant in that country. On Thursday, a study was published online showing that reinfections are more likely with omicron than with delta or the beta variants.
Today, the United States reported the biggest one-day increase in covid cases since September - with 157,487 new cases.
