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Anchorage to allow indoor service again at restaurants, bars
by The Associated Press
Last Updated Dec 30, 2020 at 10:58 am EDT
ANCHORAGE, Alaska Anchorage is relaxing coronavirus restrictions to allow indoor service again at restaurants, bars and theatres.
The city had ordered such businesses to stop serving people indoors this month because of a spike in virus cases in November, and they can now reopen with limitations, Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson said Tuesday.
Her new order also contains modified regulations for the hospitality industry and relaxes capacity restrictions at retail stores and gyms, the Anchorage Daily News reported. It takes effect Friday.
Today, the Acting Mayor is announcing a new Emergency Order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Acting Mayor is joined by Anchorage Health Department (AHD) Director Heather Harris; AHD Epidemiologist Dr. Janet Johnston; UAA Infectious Disease Epidemiologist Dr. Tom Hennessy; UAA Assistant Professor of Economics Dr. Kevin Berry Also available: Municipal Attorney Kate Vogel; Office of Economic and Community Development Director Chris Schutte, Director; AHD Medical Officer Dr. Bruce Chandler The community briefing is available on Acting Mayor Quinn-Davidson’s Facebook page and Municipal Channel 9 on GCI cable. American Sign Language (ASL) access is available at www.muni.org/ASLBriefing.Posted by Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson on Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Print article For the third time since March, Anchorage has closed bars and restaurants for indoor service. And for the third time, daily COVID-19 case numbers have dropped. “The big question is what’s driving that, and have these emergency orders, in particular in Anchorage, have they made a difference?” said Dr. Tom Hennessy, University of Alaska Anchorage epidemiologist. Case numbers in Anchorage soared in November, leading to Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson’s consideration of business closures that she ultimately enacted for the month of December. But the decision elicited an outcry from vocal detractors, especially in the hospitality industry, who said the move was too heavy-handed.