The City and Borough of Juneau is lowering the community risk level for the first time in nearly three months, the city announced.
The risk level, which is tied to a series of local mitigation strategies and has been at Level 3-High since mid-August, will now be at modified high, according to the city.
“The quick summary is that pretty much all of our metrics are trending in the right direction,” said Deputy City Manager Robert Barr “Things had been looking positive for a while and that has been sustained for the last couple of weeks.”
Despite some positive metrics, Barr said COVID-19 cases within the city are still elevated, and per federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, masking is still recommended in indoor public spaces regardless of a person’s vaccination status.
Thirteen COVID-19 cases were reported for the city over the weekend, according to the city. There are about 58 active cases and three people with COVID-19 hospitalized at Bartlett Regional Hospital.
While masks are still required in public places, some mitigation measures will immediately relax.
The limit on indoor gatherings is raised from 20 to 50, and there is no size limit if all attendees are fully vaccinated; restaurants are no longer required to limit capacity, but distancing is still encouraged; and bars no longer have to close at 11 p.m.
Under the current risk level, personal services are by appointment only, but waiting areas can now be at 50% capacity, and gyms are still limited to 50% capacity with indoor classes limited to fully vaccinated people only.
Vaccine clinics for children
Juneau Public Health Center is holding vaccination clinics for children 5-11 this Tuesday and next Tuesday.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. clinics will be held at the center, 3412 Glacier Highway.
Children can be signed up for the clinics online at juneau.org/vaccine or by calling 586-6000. Kids must be accompanied by a parent/legal guardian or a caregiver. If a parent/legal guardian isn’t able to be there, a caregiver is required to bring a printed and completed parent permission form to the clinic appointment.
More information about getting vaccinated in Juneau is available online at https://juneau.org/covid-19/vaccine-information.
• Contact Ben Hohenstatt at (907)308-4895 or bhohenstatt@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BenHohenstatt
