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April 2, 2020

Senator
Bill Wielechowski
State Capitol, Rm 9
Juneau, AK 99801
800-550-2435
907-465-2435
[email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
1500 W Benson #315
Anchorage, AK 99503
907-269-0120
Local Medical Facilities
Alaska Veterans Administration
1201 North Muldoon Road
Anchorage, Alaska 99504
Phone: (907) 257-4700

Providence Express Care - Tikahtnu
1118 North Muldoon Road
Anchorage, Alaska 99504

Patients First Medical Clinic
6307 Debarr Road Suite C,
Anchorage, Alaska 99504
Phone: (907) 333-7425

Urgent Care Medical Clinic
5437 E Northern Lights Blvd #1,
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
Phone: (907) 333-8561

Vera Whole Health - (For Anchorage Municipal Employees)
1450 Muldoon Rd, Suite 100
Anchorage, Alaska 99504
Phone: (907) 313-7550

Mountain View Urgent Care
3521 Mountain View Drive
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
Phone: (907) 868-1105

Medical Park Family Care
2211 E Northern Lights Blvd,
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
Phone: (907) 279-8486

Emergency Room

Alaska Regional Hospital
2801 Debarr Road,
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
Phone: (907) 276-1131

Alaska Native Medical Center
4315 Diplomacy Drive
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
Phone: (907) 563-2662

Providence Medical Center
3200 Providence Drive
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
Phone: (907) 562-2211
Contact My Staff
Sonja Kawasaki
Chief of Staff
Office: 907-269-0120
[email protected]
Nate Graham
Legislative Aide
Office: 907-269-0120
[email protected]
Erik Gunderson
Legislative Aide
Office: 907-269-0120
[email protected]
Alexander Schroeder
Legislative Aide
Office: 907-465-2435
[email protected]
Contact Alaska's Federal Delegation
Senator Lisa Murkowski
Phone: 907-271-3735
Website [[link removed]]
Senator Dan Sullivan
Phone: 907-271-5915
Website [[link removed]]
Representative Don Young
Phone: 907-271-5950
Website [[link removed]]
Contact the Governor
Governor Dunleavy's Anchorage office may be reached at 269-7450, or e-mail him
at [email protected] [[link removed]]
Visit the state website
www.alaska.gov [[link removed]]
________________

Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Alaska is in the middle of an unprecedented crisis. The COVID-19 global pandemic
is one of the most historic events in our lifetime. The United States now has more
confirmed cases of COVID-19 than anywhere else on earth and the number of cases
is nearly doubling every other day. This virus can make anyone sick but it especially
prays on older adults, those who have underlying health issues, and is highly contagious
even if you are not showing symptoms.
In the past several days, I have heard from many who are worried about both the
short and long-term impact that this pandemic will bring to their families and our
community.
COVID-19 has also devastated our state and global economy. Oil has crashed, the
cruise ship season has been postponed indefinitely, the stock market is down, and
tens of thousands of Alaskans became unemployed in the blink of an eye. To partially
help with these economic consequences, my colleagues and I have passed critical
legislation to help Alaskans weather this storm, including expanded unemployment
insurance benefits, protection for Alaskans who can't pay their bills, and help
for small local businesses.

Alaska confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday April 1st.


Governor's Health Mandates
As an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19 the Governor and Chief Medical Officer
made the decision to close many of our state's businesses and mandate quarantine
for anyone traveling into Alaska. In addition to these mandates the Municipality
of Anchorage has issued a "Hunker Down" order in an effort to prevent Anchorage
hospitals from becoming overwhelmed and unable to treat those who might need urgent
medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here is a summary of the current health mandates issued by the State of Alaska:
Mandate 1: [[link removed]]
(March 13) Suspend public visitation to the following state institutions:

* Department of Corrections Facilities
* Juvenile Justice Facilities
* Alaska Military Youth Academy
* Alaska Psychiatric Institute
* Alaska Pioneer Homes( Limited Visitation)
Mandate 2: [[link removed]](March
16) Closure of all state operated libraries & museums.
Mandate 3: [[link removed]]
(March 17) Statewide closure of bars, breweries, restaurants, food trucks and
other food service businesses, except for takeout and deliveries.
Mandate 4: [[link removed]](March
17) Superseded by Mandate 10.
Mandate 5 [[link removed]]
& 6: [[link removed]]
(March 19) Doctors are required to postpone or cancel all non-urgent or elective
procedures for three months. Elective dental care procedures are required to be
postponed for a period of one month.
Mandate 7: [[link removed]]
(March 20) Superseded by Mandate 9.
Mandate 8: [[link removed]]
(March 20) All public and private schools are closed to students through May 1st,
2020.
Mandate 9: [[link removed]]
(March 23) All businesses in the state where individuals may come within six feet
of each other must stop operations. This includes:

* Hair salons/barber shops
* Day spas/tanning facilities
* Tattoo/body piercing shops
Additionally, no gatherings of more than 10 people are permitted.
Mandate 10: [[link removed]]
(March 23) Anyone traveling into Alaska must quarantine for 14 days.
Mandate 11: [[link removed]]
(March 28) Everyone in Alaska must stay home unless they are considered essential
(shopping for essential household items and going out for essential travel is permitted).
Mandate 12: [[link removed]]
(March 28) All in-state travel between communities is prohibited except for essential
personnel.
New or Updated Health Mandates can be found online HERE [[link removed]]

COVID-19
COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by a recently discovered strain of coronavirus
called "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2" or SARS-CoV-2. Coronaviruses
are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans. In humans,
several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the
common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)
and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Symptoms
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some people
have also reported aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or
diarrhea. Many people with COVID-19 experience only mild symptoms. Even if you
don't have symptoms you can still spread COVID-19.

Mild Symptoms

* Fever (100.4 F or higher)
* Sore Throat
* Cough
* Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing

Severe Symptoms

* Pneumonia
* Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
* Kidney Failure

Incubation Period
The incubation period is the time between a person's exposure to an infection and
the appearance of the first symptoms. COVID-19 has an incubation period of up to
14 days, which makes it harder for healthcare professionals to track where a person
has been in that time. By comparison, the seasonal flu typically has an incubation
period of 1-4 days.


Flattening The Curve
One of the big uncertainties in the COVID-19 outbreak in Alaska and the United States
now is how far it will spread and how fast. Officials believe that up to 60% of
the population can end up with COVID-19, with 20% requiring hospitalization.
What medical professionals fear most is the health care system becoming overwhelmed
by a sudden explosion of illness that requires more people to be hospitalized than
there are beds and ventilators to meet the need. Experts believe that this can be
averted with protective measures like you have seen with the closure of schools,
bars and restaurants, and other businesses deemed non-essential. Other ways to
"flatten the curve'' are social distancing, working from home, and postponing travel.
Flattening the curve means that all the social distancing measures now being deployed
are about preventing illness and also slowing down the rate at which people get
sick until treatment and a vaccine are developed.
By reducing the strain on our healthcare system we give those that become hospitalized
by COVID-19 a better chance of surviving.

When Should You Seek Medical Care?
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) advises that you should seek medical attention
if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms.

* Trouble breathing
* Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
* New confusion or inability to arouse
* Bluish lips or face
Please call your primary care provider or emergency room before arriving if at all
possible. If available, put on a facemask before you enter the building. If you
can't put on a facemask, cover your coughs and sneezes. It is best to sneeze or
cough into a tissue then throw the tissue away. Try to stay at least 6 feet away
from other people. This will help protect the people in the office or waiting room.

COVID-19 Testing Results Waiting Period
Many neighbors have asked me how long testing for COVID-19 will take. The Department
of Health & Social Services (DHSS) informed me that the state medical lab can process
a test within 4-6 hours. However that does not mean you would receive results within
that time period. The state can only process so many tests at a time so it could
take longer for people to receive their results. Some health care providers are
using private labs to test for COVID-19 and those tests can take 5-7 days for a
person to receive test results. If you do not get a call with your test results
within a few days it could mean a few different things. DHSS reports that some
providers are not calling people back if they have tested negative for COVID-19,
or sometimes it is taking longer than the average time to receive your results.
If you are concerned about your results call your healthcare provider and ask for
an update.
Providers at this time are typically only testing those showing symptoms or those
who have known exposure to COVID-19. It is very important that you isolate yourself
from others while waiting for
your results.
COVID-19 Relief Legislation
The legislature passed Senate Bill 241 which will assist Alaskans in our response
to the COVID-19 pandemic by:

* Halts evictions, foreclosures, utility shutoffs and vehicle repossessions for
Alaskans experiencing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19.
* Allows for vote-by-mail for all elections in 2020
* Enables the Department of Community, Commerce and Economic Development to provide
grants to small businesses
*
Outlaws price gouging during the disaster emergency
* Extends the PFD application period to April 30, 2020
* Gives the Division of Professional Licensing the ability to temporally expedite
licensing to medical professionals who are licensed in other states to respond to
the COVID-19 emergency

COVID-19 Funding
$75 million for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services to bolster emergency
medical and trauma systems.
$5 million to the Disaster Relief Fund to be used by the Department of Military
and Veterans' Affairs to help with the public health disaster response.
$5 million for the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation to alleviate COVID-19-related
homelessness.
$2.7 million for public health services provided by the Municipality of Anchorage.


Unemployment Insurance Benefits
As of March 21st, the number of Alaskans filing for unemployment benefits rose to
13,774 the highest amount in the history of the state. The Legislature passed House
Bill 308 which provides emergency relief to people who are unemployed due to the
COVID-19 emergency. Families and small businesses face economic devastation as
a result of a collapsing economy. Relief cannot wait.
This bill waives the standard one week waiting requirement to begin receiving unemployment
insurance benefits.
HB 308 also increases the weekly benefit from $25 to $75 per week for each dependent
of a person receiving unemployment providing some relief for families who have lost
childcare and income simultaneously.
If you have become unemployed or are working less than full-time hours you should
apply for unemployment insurance benefits as soon as possible. Contact Alaska's
Unemployment Insurance Division at (907) 269-4700. You can also apply online at
www.Labor.Alaska.gov/unemployment

Federal Unemployment
In addition to the state increasing unemployment insurance benefits the federal
government also increased benefits by extending the coverage period for unemployment
insurance from three to fourth months and providing an additional $600 a week in
unemployment benefits. This $600 a week would be in addition to existing state
and federal unemployment benefits.

I wanted to make sure you and your family had the best information possible to help
through this trying time. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions.
I can be reached at (907) 465-2435 or [email protected].
Warmly,
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Sen. Bill Wielechowski | State Capitol | 4th Avenue & Main Street | Juneau | AK | 99801