Manager – Page 9 – City and Borough of Juneau

Masks once again required indoors in Juneau School District facilities

Due to increasing COVID-19 cases in Juneau, CDC has changed Juneau’s Alert Level to High. Per the current JSD Mask Policy and the CDC Alert Level change, Juneau School District will return to masks required indoors in Juneau School District facilities.

Effective immediately, masks are required indoors in JSD facilities.

CDC updates their alert level weekly. Masks will be required at least through this next week, until further notice.

Look at CDC’s COVID-19 By County here. Read JSD’s mask policy here.

April 23rd, 2022|

Juneau’s first big cruise ship is arriving Monday, April 25

Juneau will see its first large cruise ship of the season – the Norwegian Bliss – on Monday, April 25. The ship, which can accommodate up to 4,000 passengers and 1,700 crewmembers, is scheduled to arrive at the AJ Dock at 1:30 p.m. After two years of little cruise ship activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Juneau is preparing for a full summer visitor season. See the 2022 cruise ship schedule for Juneau here.

“So many local businesses that rely on the visitor industry struggled during the pandemic and we are looking forward to welcoming visitors back to our community. At the same time, after two years of limited visitation, this summer is going to feel busy for residents. We’re hoping to help people understand what to expect over the next few months,” City and Borough of Juneau Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce said.

When it comes to the cruise tourism season, here are some things to expect and keep in mind:

The busy large ship days are generally Tuesday and Wednesday with some high volume Monday and Thursday afternoons in July and August.
Residents can expect to encounter tour groups at Mendenhall Glacier, on the water near Auke Bay, and on certain hiking trails and parks. Tour companies have commercial use permits to bring people to: Amalga Meadows Beach Access (Kayak Beach); Auke Lake Launch Ramp/Parking Access; Brotherhood Parking Lot; Channel Wayside Park; Ernest Gruening State Park; Homestead Park; Last Chance Basin; Mendenhall Glacier trails: Steep Creek Trail, East Glacier, West Glacier, Moraine Ecology, Nugget Falls, and Trail of Time; Overstreet Park; Perseverance Trail system; Powerline Trail; Rainforest Trail; Tolch Rock; Treadwell Historic Trail; and Upper Mount Roberts Trail (above the Goldbelt Tram).
Whale watch tours operate from a designated commercial use dock in Statter Harbor with its own parking and drop-off area. You can expect to see whale watching boats in the waters around Auke Bay. Whale watch operators follow NOAA regulations for marine mammal protection.
Local tour operators follow the Tourism Best Management Practices (TBMP) guidelines. Whale watch operators follow additional guidelines from NOAA’s WhaleSENSE program.
If you encounter an issue with a specific tour operator, call the TBMP hotline at 907-586-6774 or email [email protected].

Regarding COVID-19 precautions, all large cruise ships sailing in Alaska are operating under port agreements with Juneau and other ports that require a 95% vaccination rate for passengers and crew, on-board quarantine and isolation protocols, and other COVID measures. The port agreements are part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships Operating in U.S. Water. The port agreements require cruise lines to have emergency response plans and evacuation procedures for passengers too sick to remain on board in quarantine. This can include sending patients to Bartlett Regional Hospital or a medevac to a larger hospital.

For more information, go to juneau.org/tourism or contact CBJ Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce at 907-500-8677 or [email protected].

April 21st, 2022|

COVID-19 testing & hotline transitions to Bartlett Regional Hospital after April 30

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.

April 19th, 2022|

Masks no longer required at Juneau Airport or on Capital Transit

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.

April 19th, 2022|

Federal mask mandate for public transportation extended another 15 days thru May 3

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.

April 13th, 2022|