Governor Mike Dunleavy held a press briefing on Friday evening. He was joined by Health and Human Services Commissioner Adam Crum as well as Commissioner Dr. Tamika Ledbetter, Department of Labor and Workforce Development. They spoke to issue more guidance on Health Mandate 16, as well as the ongoing effort to provide unemployment insurance to Alaskans.
Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer, was also present to discuss the latest numbers in Alaska. She made note that most of the patients that have tested positive lately have done so due to close contact, such as being in the same household. Also, she pledged to continue update Alaskans about asymptomatic testing.
Commissioner Adam Crum offered further guidance on Health Mandate 16, raising the group size to 20 for weddings and religious services.
Dr. Tamika Ledbetter offered updates on the unemployment situation in Alaska. She said that she has seen cases of employees being asked to return to work, even when they do not feel ready due to COVID-19 concerns. She said that each situation is different, so the unemployment staff is flexible in determining each situation due to issues such as difficulty finding childcare as well as overall fear of infection. She wants those who want to work and can do so safely, she wants them to be able to work; those who are able to return safely are not intended to receive unemployment benefits.
Dr. Ledbetter then lauded the steps her department has taken to make the procedure of filing an unemployment insurance application easy for Alaskans. She said that claims should be filed online first. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Labor has processed over 57,000 claims with over $80,000,000 going out to Alaskans.
