Anchorage is only a few days into a mask mandate for indoor, public places that went into effect Monday, and Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, who issued the order, says it’s already keeping residents safer by helping to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
As the pandemic hit Alaska this spring, it forced the closure of nonessential businesses in Anchorage, and Berkowitz says mandating mask-wearing now — as cases spike in the city — is a way to avoid another shutdown.
Berkowitz says enforcement of the mandate has been limited, and he hopes Anchorage residents will, on their own, follow health officials’ recommendations during Fourth of July celebrations.
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Casey Grove is host of Alaska News Nightly, a general assignment reporter and an editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach him atcgrove@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Caseyhere.
