Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz signed an emergency order on Monday, March 16, limiting the operation of restaurants, theaters, gyms, and other mass gatherings in Anchorage, effective Monday at 5 p.m.
Emergency Order EO-01 was signed by the Mayor, restricting activities for the sake of public health due to COVID-19 concerns. Dine-in service for food or drink at bars, breweries, and restaurants will be prohibited until 11:59 p.m. on March 31. All buffets and salad bars will be closed to self-service.
This does not mean the establishments will be closed, however. Drive-thru, take-out, and delivery services are still allowed. The restriction also does not apply to grocery stores.
Fitness and entertainment facilities face a heavier restriction, with complete closures until 11:59 p.m. on March 31. This includes theaters, gyms, bingo halls, as well any events and mass gatherings with 50 or more people.
In the release announcing the emergency order, Mayor Berkowitz said: “By making sacrifices now, we reduce the likelihood that we will pay a larger cost later. These closures are consistent with CDC recommendations and with our strategy of doing what we can to reduce the possibility of transmitting COVID-19. As a friend told me, ‘It will be impossible to know if we overreacted or did too much, but it will be quite apparent if we underreacted or did too little’.”
All of the aforementioned restrictions go into effect at 5:00 p.m., Monday until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31.
