JUNEAU (AP) - The Alaska Legislature has required all lawmakers and staff to wear masks during the upcoming session in a bid to stop the Coronavirus from spreading.
The Legislative Council passed the mandate 11-1 in a virtual meeting the last week of December that determined the rules and guidelines for the session beginning Jan. 19 in Juneau. Only Palmer Republican Rep. DeLena Johnson voted against the policy.
Lawmakers and staffers who refuse to have their temperature taken or answer health screening questions will not be allowed to enter the Capitol, and those who refuse to wear a mask may work in their office but will barred from the chambers.
The news media will be banned from the House and Senate chambers and galleries, everyone will be required to remain seated when speaking, and Plexiglas dividers must be installed.
“We did decide to ask the media not to be on the floor of the House or Senate,” Kodiak Republican Sen. Gary Stevens said. “I’m sorry we had to do that. It was the only way we could find the way to do that,’ he said.
“`We’re just trying to make it as safe as possible. I have been surprised to learn how many of our employees as well as legislators have underlying health issues,” Stevens said. “It’s a serious issue, wearing a mask. There are people who disagree with that, but this is now our policy.”
The Legislature when it convenes Jan. 19 will appoint new Legislative Council members for the 2021-2022 term, and those new council members could amend or rewrite the policy.
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