Barber shops, nail salons, retail and restaurants: Alaska’s plan to reopen starts to take shape

The next phase of Alaska’s new coronavirus economy could start as early as next week with the reopening of businesses such as retail stores, restaurants, barber shops and nail salons.

Alaska’s relatively low number of active COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations indicate it may be safe for some businesses to resume in the interest of restoring lost jobs, officials said at a briefing Monday evening.

Half of the state’s 321 known positive COVID-19 cases are people now considered recovered from the virus.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy said people will need to keep practicing social distancing, wearing face masks in public and washing their hands.

“These were hard-fought gains by Alaskans," Dunleavy said of the relatively low COVID-19 numbers here. “There’s been a lot of sacrifices by Alaskans and Alaskan businesses and workers.”

Before things start to reopen, state officials want to see a “consistent 14-day downward trend” in the number of cases, said Dr. Anne Zink, the state’s chief medical officer. Other priorities are broad COVID-19 testing, adequate personal protective equipment for health-care workers, and ample hospital capacity.

Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz also released a plan Monday, which he characterized as being very similar to Dunleavy’s, and also is reliant on a 14-day downward trend in cases. However, Berkowitz provided less of a specific timeline for when things would open up, and didn’t discuss specifics such as barbershops and nail salons.

[Anchorage unveils a plan to move on from the ‘hunker down’ coronavirus order]

Dunleavy said more specifics and a timeline will be announced Tuesday. He plans to meet with municipal leaders this week.

State public health officials reported two new confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Monday, no new hospitalizations and no new deaths. Nine Alaskans have died of the virus.

The state is prioritizing certain sectors for this initial phase of reopening not just because there’s a “demand for those services” but because they can take steps like wearing face coverings and sanitizing surfaces, Dunleavy said. It’s possible that, if there’s enough space, a family living in one house could eat in a restaurant as mandates relax.

“Those businesses are local businesses that employ a lot of Alaskans,” he said.

Protests are erupting around the country as some call for governments to end virus “lockdowns” and open back up for business. A protest is planned in Anchorage on Wednesday.

[Coronavirus restrictions begin to ease in some places; wedge between states and White House deepens]

Dunleavy’s administration faces heavy pressure to stem the devastating effects of travel bans and shelter-in-place mandates: thousands of people in jobs considered non-essential out of work and tourism-dependent businesses facing a summer without cruise ships and few planes.

But any economic plans must be balanced against a potential spike in positive cases if a reopening comes too soon without adequate testing or public-health protections.

People may have the virus without symptoms — so they generally wouldn’t get tested -- and could spread it when lockdowns end, starting a new wave of infections.

In Anchorage, leaders say the municipality won’t move into a first phase of reopening until the city has the ability and capacity to screen and test widely and case counts and hospitalizations trend downwards for two weeks.

Officials announced their “risk metrics” Monday.

“We’re working closely with the state in order to make sure that we’re basing our decisions on the same principles,” Berkowitz said.

Given the size of the state, it’s likely there will be different responses in different communities from villages to regional hubs to “what we call cities,” Berkowitz said. “I think we need to recognize there is going to be a range of openings based on the vastness of Alaska.”

The state started opening certain sectors this month. Religious services were allowed on Easter Sunday and for Passover, but only through livestream or drive-in services. Dunleavy last week announced a loosening of a prior mandate ordering elective medical procedures be canceled or postponed until June.

State officials are allowing commercial fishing seasons to begin next month with protocols in place to protect small communities from thousands of out-of-state workers.

The state is deploying rapid test machines to fishing communities ahead of the season, according to Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum.

Dunleavy said if businesses around the state do start to reopen, he doesn’t plan to require face masks.

Instead, he said, he trusted people will continue to practice state recommendations: wear masks when out of the house, whether you’re shopping or working at a store; social distancing (staying at least 6 feet away from non-family members); and hand washing and wiping down surfaces.

The governor several times Monday evening said he had faith in Alaskans to do the right thing.

“We never went down the road of chasing people down, the state never went down the road of threatening people," Dunleavy said. “Because it’s not in our nature. It’s not who we are.”

Reporter Aubrey Wieber contributed.

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