With vaccine on the way, Gov. Dunleavy to declare third disaster related to COVID-19 pandemic

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks during a news briefing about the coronavirus on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Joining him were Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum (far right) and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink (right of Dunleavy). In December 2020, Dunleavy issued his third disaster declaration related to the coronavirus pandemic. (Creative Commons photo by Office of Gov. Mike Dunleavy)

Gov. Mike Dunleavy plans to issue another 30-day disaster declaration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, his office announced Thursday.

Dunleavy will issue the declaration by Monday and it will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16th.

In the announcement, Dunleavy said that while the first shipment of a vaccine is expected any day, the threat posed by the virus is still with us.

“We can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said in a statement. “But the next 30 days are crucial to advance therapeutic treatments and the vaccination plan so we can defeat this virus and begin returning to normal.”

Dunleavy issued his first COVID-19 disaster declaration in March, and the Legislature extended it until November. Some legislators raised concern before Dunleavy issued a new declaration in mid-November that he lacked the legal authority to do so without the Legislature meeting again.

But Acting Attorney General Ed Sniffen emphasized at the time that the new declaration was based on a new disaster, citing the rising number of cases in the state. The governor’s office said that the legal basis for the Dec. 16 declaration will be provided when the declaration is formally issued.

Andrew Kitchenman

State Government Reporter, Alaska Public Media & KTOO

State government plays an outsized role in the life of Alaskans. As the state continues to go through the painful process of deciding what its priorities are, I bring Alaskans to the scene of a government in transition.

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