As the coronavirus pandemic lingers on, so does policy to protect against it. Valdez City Council met on Tuesday to do just that. KCHU’s Gabriella Palko reports.
Click play to listen to the story or scroll down for a transcript.
Below is audio from interviews with Valdez locals about the mask mandate from August, by Shane Kimberlin with help from Allison Sayer
Masks are becoming the new norm around the world as we all grapple with the coronavirus pandemic. While readily accepted in many countries, they’re become a major point of contention in the United States. Government leaders on the state and local levels have largely been left to patchwork their own solutions to enduring the Coronavirus, Valdez has done so by requiring masks for the last several months after statewide measures eased this spring.
On Tuesday’s City Council agenda was a vote on City Mandate #003, better known as the Mask Mandate. It requires the public to wear a cloth face covering or mask in indoor spaces or other areas where social distancing cannot be maintained, with many exceptions such as health conditions. Enacted in early July, the mandate was set to be reviewed on September
15th. So reviewed it was.
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Discussion was catalyzed after a briefing of State and local Covid numbers. According to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services website Statewide, there have been almost 6400 cumulative resident cases and over 900 cumulative non-resident cases since the pandemic began. The statewide death count is at 44, which remains among the lowest in the country. Numbers certainly increased with the easing of restrictions this spring and with the influx of summer of tourists and seasonal workers.
Valdez, which implemented a mandatory two week quarantine earlier this spring, then the mask mandate, has had 11 resident cases and 27 non-resident cases thus far. There has been only one hospitalization and zero deaths.
After briefed with this data and a statement from the Valdez Unified Command in support of the mask mandate, there was a bit of commentary from council and the public about weighing public health risks and economic recovery, but the general consensus was that while we’re all
sick of wearing masks, they are effective in slowing the spread of Covid-19. Councilmember Sharon Scheidt proposed to amend the new extension date from mid-November to mid-October, which passed in a 4-3 vote. Councilmembers and the Mayor then voted on passing the mandate in a 5-2 vote, with nay votes from Councilmembers Ron Ruff and Dennis Fleming.
So, don’t put that mask away just yet , Valdez is now required to mask up until at least October 21st.
Reporting in Valdez, I’m Gabriella Palko