Saturday, April 30, will be the last day the City and Borough of Juneau runs the COVID-19 hotline and the drive-thru testing facility at the Hagevig Fire Training Center. After that, Bartlett Regional Hospital will take over operations of both, with BRH taking over the hotline Monday, May 2, and drive-thru testing for the general public available on the BRH campus starting May 8.

The Juneau community can expect other aspects surrounding the COVID-19 testing process to remain the same: the hotline number will still be 907-586-6000; to schedule a test, register online or call the hotline; and tests will continue to be analyzed at Bartlett with results available within 24 hours.

CBJ stood up the Emergency Operations Center in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and implemented the drive-thru testing site and the hotline. While COVID-19 transmission continues to occur in Juneau, hospitalization rates are low, vaccines are widely available, and treatments are available. With COVID-19 no longer an emergent situation, CBJ is ending its Emergency Operations Center framework. Aside from the drive-thru testing and hotline transitioning to Bartlett, the public can expect to see these other changes after April 30:

• CBJ will no longer implement COVID-19 Risk Metrics and Mitigations Strategies, though the community can continue to reach out to CBJ for best practices.
• CBJ will no longer maintain its COVID-19 Dashboard. Instead, the community can get data from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services through its Cases Dashboard (which is updated every Wednesday) and Weekly COVID-19 Updates (subscribe here). The community can also keep track of Juneau’s COVID-19 Community Level through this resource from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• CBJ will no longer be issuing Emergency Operations Center updates.

CBJ will continue to maintain the webpage juneau.org/vaccine, which is an easy way to make a COVID-19 vaccine appointment at the Juneau Public Health Center and other local providers. CBJ is currently distributing free COVID-19 antigen home tests and KN95 masks from the City Hall cash office, all Juneau Public Libraries, Juneau Public Health Center, and Juneau Police Department – and will continue to as long as supply is available.

For more information, contact Emergency Operations Center Planning Section Chief Denise Koch at [email protected] or 907-586-0800 ext. 4182.

Masks are no longer required on public transportation and in transportation hubs – like the Juneau International Airport, and on Capital Transit and CAPITAL AKcess. The Transportation Security Administration, according to an April 18 statement, is no longer enforcing its federal security directives requiring mask use on public transportation and transportation hubs after a federal judge ruled against it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend that people wear masks in indoor public transportation settings at this time.

Last week, TSA extended the federal security directive for mask use – on airplanes, ships, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis, rideshares, as well as in airports, bus or ferry terminals, train or subway stations, seaports, and ports of entry – for 15 days through May 3. Yesterday, a U.S. District Court judge in Florida voided the mask requirement.

Masks will continue to be required on public transportation and in transportation hubs – like the Juneau International Airport and on Capital Transit and CAPITAL AKcess – through May 3. The Transportation Security Administration extended the federal security directive for mask use for 15 days based on a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The previous extension was originally set to expire April 18. Read FAQs and learn more here.

According to a TSA statement, the Omicron subvariant BA.2 now makes up more than 85% of U.S. cases: “Since early April 2022, there have been increases in the 7-day moving average of COVID-19 cases in the United States. During the 15-day extension period, CDC will assess the potential impact the recent rise of COVID-19 cases has on severe disease, including hospitalizations, deaths, and healthcare system capacity. TSA will continue to coordinate closely with CDC and communicate any changes to this requirement with the public.”

The federal rule requires individuals to wear masks on airplanes, ships, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis, rideshares, as well as in airports, bus or ferry terminals, train or subway stations, seaports, ports of entry, or any other area that provides transportation in the US.

Read FAQs and learn more here: transportation.gov/safety/mask-travel-guidance.

Capstone Clinic’s private COVID-19 testing site in the Mendenhall Mall Suite 307 will no longer be open on the weekends. Its new operating hours are Monday – Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed Saturday and Sunday starting tomorrow, April 9. The testing site offers testing to all individuals. Rapid and send-out tests are available:

• Asymptomatic individuals are welcome to test inside – enter through the main mall door to the left of NAO and immediately turn right in the foyer, then walk down a short hallway, and turn left where a big testing station floor sign is located. When in doubt, look for the Capstone Clinic signs.
• Symptomatic individuals are asked to stay in their vehicle, call 907-694-9523 option 2, and someone will come outside to administer the test.

As a reminder, the City and Borough of Juneau’s COVID-19 hotline and drive-thru testing facility operates five days a week, closed on Wednesday and Sunday. To schedule a COVID-19 molecular test and get results within 24 hours, register online or call the COVID-19 hotline at 907-586-6000 from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Testing is also available at SEARHC Ethel Lund Medical Center, SEARHC Mountainside Urgent Care, Juneau Urgent & Family Care, and private providers around town.