Juneau to bring back COVID-19 restrictions as case count continues to spike

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The City and Borough of Juneau announced it will bring back a number of mitigation measures on Friday aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19, as cases of the virus continue to rise there.

The city has raised its overall community risk level to moderate, a move officials were considering earlier this week. With that risk level designation comes a number of restrictions to capacity at gyms, bars and indoor gatherings, according to a Thursday press release from the city.

All mitigation measures go into effect at noon this Friday. They include:

Gyms are reduced to 50% capacity
Indoor service bars are reduced to 50% capacity
Indoor gatherings are limited to 50 people, with masks required, unless a COVID-19 mitigation plan has been submitted to and approved by the City and Borough of Juneau’s Emergency Operations Center, or unless all individuals at the gathering are fully vaccinated. The city recommends having outdoor gatherings instead of indoor ones.
Personal service businesses must require appointments, and shall not have waiting areas

According to the release, it is not required but “strongly recommended” that restaurants in Juneau reduce their capacity and require reservations. The city is also encouraging delivery and curbside pickup.

According to the city, there are 80 active cases in Juneau currently. Of those, 72 are residents and eight are nonresidents. The city continues to see a spike in cases along with other Southeast Alaska communities like Sitka.

On Tuesday, a passenger who had tested positive for COVID-19 the day before was able to fly out of Sitka before being stopped by Alaska Airlines in Seattle and prevented from continuing to their final destination.

Juneau had already implemented other mitigation measures ahead of Thursday’s announcements. Those measures continue to stay in place. One requires masks to be worn in all city facilities regardless of vaccination status, and in public by those who are not fully vaccinated, according to the release.

The other measure recommends that travelers get tested for COVID-19 prior to traveling or at the airport in Juneau.