Governor Mike Dunleavy was joined by Dr. Tamika Ledbetter, Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Adam Crum of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, as well as Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer, for a press briefing on Friday evening. The topic of discussion was economic relief for Alaskans.
Governor Dunleavy said that his team has been having great conversations in various business sectors. The goal is to prepare for an evaluation of the health mandates this weekend to determine which industries are on the docket to be re-opened to Alaskans. He pledged to “look out” over the next several weeks to see which sectors can be opened up. One of the first factors that will be discussed next week is retail, and geography will play a role in which sectors are opened. The Governor referred to Alaska’s large, complex geography creating an immense variety within communities in the state – meaning that opening one sector is not quite as easy as it would be in a smaller more homogeneous state.
The Governor lauded that the federal Paycheck Protection Program granting 4,000 loans being approved in the state, though the program was ultimately forced to cease, at this time. He believes that there will be more assistance coming to help businesses who were impacted by this pandemic through no fault of their own.
Governor Dunleavy revealed that Congressman Don Young is working to get the cannabis industry included in the next federal aid bill out of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Commissioner Ledbetter described how the Department of Labor and Workforce Development is working to provide unemployment insurance coverage to Alaskans. She noted that March 2020 saw a 632% increase in unemployment insurance filings compared to March of 2019, with 40% of claims being processed thus far. To address delays, Dr. Ledbetter has brought on 100 additional support staff to expedite the process. Also, ‘Watson,’ a new chat feature, will answer basic unemployment insurance on the Department’s website. Total disbursements at this point have been over $40,000,000.
She advises those looking to file to visit MyAlaska online, but for those without internet access, call centers have been established. Those opting to use the telephone service to file a claim, three numbers exist for each Alaskan to call the center closest to their area.
- Anchorage Area: (907) 269-4700
- Juneau Area: (907) 465-5552
- Fairbanks Area: (907) 451-2871