On Thursday morning, the Skagway Development Corporation and Skagway Visitor Department hosted a virtual town hall meeting with Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan.
The senators led off with opening remarks, followed by questions from the community.
Mayor Andrew Cremata wondered if an agreement could be reached to open the border between Skagway and Whitehorse for vaccinated travelers, much like the recent agreement allowing residents of Hyder, Alaska to visit Steward, B.C.
“Everyone that’s wanted to have a vaccine has been able to get one at this point,” Cremata said. “And so moving into the season, if our border could be open, not just for people going into Canada from Skagway but people from the Yukon coming down into Skagway, it would be a tremendous lifesaver for this community.”
Senator Sullivan explained that he’s been working directly with the Canadian minister of transportation about topics such as these, and he thought that Skagway achieving herd immunity should carry major weight.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, it’s not known yet how many members of a community need to be vaccinated to reach herd immunity.
Senator Murkowski suggested that the best approach is to get Canadians to pressure their lawmakers and federal officials to open the border. She also touched on Passenger Vessel Services Act waivers, supported by Don Young as well as Murkowski and Sullivan, which would temporarily allow foreign-flagged cruise ships to visit Alaska without stopping in Canada.
“Legislation like this is not going to happen unless we have the administration that recognizes that this is going to be key not only for Alaska’s economy but really for the betterment of the region,” Murkowski said.
Murkowski claimed that Skagway and Denali Township are the two communities hit hardest economically by the pandemic. She said more needs to be done to make sure their unique economies can weather the lack of tourism.
Both senators warned that although Congress had passed legislation designed to help, there could be a lag time before funds arrive because regulations are still in the works from the treasury department.
“There is support that will be coming, but my hope is that it doesn’t come too late,” Murkowski said.
