AK Gov. Issues Public Health Disaster Emergency Declaration for Chinese Corona Virus

State resources activated in response to COVID-19 preparedness

March 11, 2020 (Anchorage, AK) – Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy today issued a declaration of public health disaster emergency in response to the COVID-19 anticipated outbreak. The declaration initiates a unified command structure between the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), and the Department of Public Safety (DPS), and fully engages state departments to utilize all capabilities to ensure a swift and effective COVID-19 response.

“My administration has worked daily to coordinate our response efforts and keep Alaskans informed about COVID-19. Beginning with the flight to repatriate Americans living in Wuhan in January, our team has responded with a level of professionalism that is a model for the nation,” said Governor Mike Dunleavy. “Alaska still does not have any confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease; however, by issuing this disaster declaration, we are taking a proactive approach to accessing all necessary resources. As we are faced with the potential to have confirmed cases in Alaska, the state will elevate its response and bring to bear every element of state government needed to address this serious illness.”

“DHSS, and the State of Alaska, continue to prepare for and learn from the novel coronavirus outbreak around the world,”said Adam Crum, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. “These efforts have been undertaken alongside municipalities, Tribal health, and our federal partners, and as this public health risk continues to evolve it is highly probable that an outbreak of COVID-19 will occur in this state in the near future.”

“We have seen a great level of voluntary coordination between local, Tribal, state, and federal partners to date.  As the impact of the virus expands we are here to support our DHSS partners.  We have established a Unified Command and activated our plans to coordinate activities statewide,” said Maj. Gen. Torrance Saxe, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. “Uniformed members of the Alaska Organized Militia, including the Alaska National Guard, are prepared to respond to the needs of our communities and DHSS as requested.” 

In addition to setting up the unified command, the declaration permits the DHSS commissioner to exercise state statues related to isolation and quarantine measures, and makes it easier for the state to purchase supplies, hire temporary staff, and access disaster relief funds for public assistance. The DHSS emergency operations center has been activated since January. The State of Alaska emergency operations center been on standby for several weeks.

On March 2, 2020, Governor Dunleavy submitted a supplemental budget amendment to fund COVID-19 preparedness and response efforts. The supplemental budget amendment provides $4 million in state funds and allows for the receipt of $9 million in federal support for mitigation and response efforts.

As of March 10, 2020, 47 individuals in Alaska have been tested for COVID-19, with 31 negative tests and 16 tests currently pending. State health officials expect to detect cases in the near future and are preparing for the likelihood of community transmission in Alaska. Nationally, 647 cases have been reported with 25 deaths.

All Alaskans are encouraged to stay informed, listen to their local elected leaders and their primary care providers.

Click here for a signed copy of the disaster declaration and additional information.

For the latest information on Alaska’s response to COVID-19, please visit http://coronavirus.alaska.gov.

This comes on the same day that President Trump has declared a 30 day European Travel Ban:

RESTRICTING TRAVEL FROM IMPACTED AREAS: President Donald J. Trump is taking further action to curb the spread of the coronavirus to the United States from other countries.

• President Trump is issuing a proclamation under section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to restrict travel to the United States from foreign nationals who have recently been in certain European countries.
  • Section 212(f) of the INA only applies to the movement of human beings, not goods or cargo.
• The restriction applies to foreign nationals who have been in the Schengen Area, 26 countries in Europe with open borders agreements, in the last 14 days.
• Those who are exempt from these restrictions, such as American citizens, will be directed to a limited number of airports where screening can take place.
• There is extensive travel back and forth between Europe that heightens the risk here in the United States.

LOOKING OUT FOR AMERICAN BUSINESSES AND WORKERS: President Donald J. Trump is committed to protecting American businesses and workers from the impacts of coronavirus.

• The President is announcing an economic assistance package to help support businesses and workers who have been harmed by this outbreak.
• President Trump has instructed the Small Business Administration (SBA) to exercise available authority to provide loans to businesses affected by the coronavirus.
  • These loans will help overcome disruptions caused by the coronavirus.
  • The President is calling on Congress to increase funding for this program by an additional $50 billion.
• The President will be instructing the Department of the Treasury to defer tax payments for certain individuals and businesses negatively impacted by the coronavirus.
  • This action will provide more than $200 billion of additional liquidity to the economy.
• President Trump is calling on Congress to immediately pass payroll tax relief.
• The President announced that he will soon be taking emergency action to provide financial relief for workers who are ill, quarantined, or caring for others due to the coronavirus.
  • The President also called on Congress to take action to extend this relief for workers.

LEADING AN AGGRESSIVE, WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT APPROACH: President Trump has taken unprecedented steps to protect the health of Americans in response to the coronavirus.

• The President is leveraging all of our resources to respond to the coronavirus, bringing together government and private industry in a collaborative response.
• The Trump Administration declared a public health emergency in January to bolster response efforts.
• President Trump took early action to help curb the spread of the virus from other countries to the United States, providing important time for response and preparations.
  • In January, President Trump acted quickly to restrict travel from foreign nationals traveling from China.
  • In February, the President restricted travel for individuals recently traveling from Iran.
  • The Administration put into place mandatory screening for all travelers coming into the country from Italy and South Korea.
  • Travel advisories for severely impacted areas like Italy and South Korea have been raised to their highest level.
• Today, the President directed his Administration to make general-use face masks available to our healthcare workers.
  • The Administration’s actions will help make millions of general-use respirators available to keep healthcare workers safe and mitigate transmission of the virus.
• President Trump signed into law more than $8 billion to fund response efforts.
• The Administration has taken bold steps to incentivize the development of therapeutics and vaccines to treat and prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
• Working across the public and private sectors, the Trump Administration continues to drastically expand testing capacity.
  • More than 1 million tests have been distributed nationwide, with another 4 million tests being shipped out by the end of the week.
  • Testing is now available in every State lab in the country and commercial labs are now deploying tests, which will help generate a dramatic increase in availability.
• The Trump Administration has released guidance on how to keep businesses, schools, community gathering places, and families safe.
  • From the start, President Trump has made keeping the public informed a top priority.
• The Administration has announced that health plans with health savings accounts will be able to cover coronavirus testing and treatment without co-payments.

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