Following new federal guidelines, the Wrangell borough has decided that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are no longer required to wear face masks in borough facilities, programs and activities.
Individual businesses can set their own policy.
The borough issued the change in guidelines on May 18. As of last week, almost 60% of Wrangell residents age 16 and older had received at least one dose of a vaccine.
“It’s the honor system,” Mayor Steve Prysunka said last Friday of the mask-free policy that applies only to vaccinated individuals.
Wrangell has joined Anchorage, Juneau, Soldotna and other Alaska cities that shed their face-covering policies for vaccinated individuals after the federal guidelines changed. The Fairbanks North Star Borough will drop its face mask requirement in public buildings for vaccinated people as of June 1.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend that unvaccinated people wear face masks when indoors or in groups of people.
“Unvaccinated individuals are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings in all borough facilities, programs and activities,” the May 18 Wrangell borough notice said.
“If you choose not to wear a mask and not get vaccinated, that’s on you,” Prysunka said.
Though fully vaccinated residents are no longer required to have a negative result from a recent COVID-19 test or take a test on arrival at the Wrangell airport, unvaccinated travelers arriving from out of state are required to test at the airport. The borough assembly voted to continue the testing requirement for interstate travelers at its meeting Tuesday evening. The ordinance will expire June 30.
Unvaccinated Alaska residents may choose to quarantine 14 days in lieu of taking a COVID test.
“Identifying positive cases through testing upon arrival from outside the state is still one of the most effective ways to keep the community safe from the virus being brought into town,” Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen advised the assembly in presenting the ordinance.
The borough has not reported a positive COVID case in town since May 6.
The free testing at the airport is scheduled to run through the end of June. The borough is discussing with the SouthEast Regional Health Consortium, which provides the testing, if it would be willing to continue the airport service if the state does not renew its contract that expires June 30, Von Bargen told the assembly on Tuesday.
The borough could use some of its pandemic grant funds to pay for the testing if the state stops covering the expense, the manager said.
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