Mask mandate, facility closures discussed in assembly workshop

The Wrangell Borough Assembly held a workshop Tuesday evening, Dec. 1, for discussion and possible direction on their recently passed mask mandate and ongoing closure of city buildings. The mask mandate, requiring everyone in Wrangell to wear a face mask or face shield when in public, was adopted in an emergency meeting on Nov. 12. The city also decided to close city buildings to the public. These measures were passed in response to the ongoing spread of COVID-19 across the state. Both of these measures were also scheduled to sunset on Dec. 7, unless action was taken by the assembly.

During the meeting, several members of the public shared their opinions on current restrictions. Wrangell resident Mike Lockabey stated his disagreement with current restrictions, and implored the assembly to stop treating Wrangell like a "suburb of Anchorage." Don McConachie also questioned why the city simply did not test every traveller coming into Wrangell to keep the virus out of town. Brooke Leslie, meanwhile, voiced her support for the mask mandate, with a proper risk assessment. Clear leadership from the city, she said, was needed.

Dorianne Sprehe provided an update on the COVID-19 situation for the assembly. There was a cumulative total of 32,576 cases across the state, according to her presentation. She also said that there are currently 482 adult inpatient hospital beds available across Alaska, and 26 adult ICU beds. There is one active case in Wrangell at the time of the meeting, she said. In other nearby communities, according to her presentation, there is one active case in Petersburg, nine on Prince of Wales, nine in Ketchikan, 65 in Juneau, and 33 in Sitka.

Assembly Member Terry Courson had a question on the enforcement of the mask mandate. In particular, he wanted to know whether or not the Wrangell Police Department is accepting anonymous complaints about people refusing to wear masks in public. He also stated concerns that this could be a violation of their rights.

"The dispatchers would ask for somebody's name if they called in to report a mask violation, but if that person refused to provide it and said they were unwilling to do that, then an officer would still be dispatched to investigate," Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen answered. "If they investigated and were able to see the violation for themselves, then they would be able to do something about it. Obviously if that violation is no longer in play, then if the person didn't leave their name nothing would be able to be done about it."

On the topic of facility closures, Assembly Member Ryan Howe said he wanted the assembly to consider reopening public buildings. The closure of city buildings was abrupt, he said, and he felt that they could safely open with a proper mitigation plan in place, and then re-close a building if someone becomes sick. Assembly Member David Powell voiced similar opinions. Von Bargen agreed that the closure had been abrupt, but city administration was worried about the "depth of bench" the city had. Some things the city needed to maintain, such as critical services, could not afford to close down even if there was a staffing shortage. Furthermore, she said that city employees in various departments interact regularly, and many are related to each other. If someone became sick, she said, it could spread amongst city personnel.

As this was a work session, no formal action was taken. However, they agreed to revisit the topics of the mask mandate and facility closures in their next meeting on Dec. 8.

"I probably have lost a few friends over this, but in all reality the assembly is not stifling anybody's freedom," Assembly Member Patty Gilbert said. "In reality it's a beautifully constructed particle with a protein coat and a small string of RNA genetic material that is stifling people's freedom, and sometimes their ultimate freedom. It just pains me that we are fighting one another over a three-by-five inch piece of cloth over someone's mouth and nose, and people are construing that as restricting their freedom."

 

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