After the City and Borough of Juneau voted to reestablish a fine for people who don’t follow the city’s COVID-19 mitigation measures, many are asking why the change and wondering how the fine will work.<\/p>\n
The Wednesday evening decision to re-establish the fine was part of the vote that renewed the city’s ordinance aimed at curbing the spread of the virus. Without the renewal, the ordinance would have expired on Oct. 31.<\/p>\n
The $25 fine was included in the initial mitigation measures passed last year. It was in effect until July 31, when the assembly voted to drop it.<\/p>\n
At the time, overall case counts were slowly creeping up and the city extended the mitigation measures, minus the fine. In the last several weeks, case counts have swelled with the city routinely reporting 30 to 40 cases a day.<\/p>\n
[City extends COVID mitigation measures, restores fines for violations]<\/a><\/ins><\/p>\n Although often referred to as the “mask mandate,” the measures are a collection of mitigation strategies and the fine could be assessed based on a violation of any of them.<\/p>\n The strategies the city follows vary based on factors such as the level of viral spread, hospital capacity locally and regionally, and public health’s ability to conduct contract tracing. As the community risk level changes, the corresponding mitigation measures adjust.<\/p>\n Mitigations include limiting the size of public gatherings and requiring bars and restaurants to operate at reduced capacity. Public masking is a measure in place during times of high community spread—and the area that tends to generate the most attention.<\/p>\n The current community risk level is “Level 3-High,” a level that calls for vaccinated and unvaccinated people to wear masks inside public places. In addition, capacity limits apply to many businesses, and bars and restaurants must close at 11:00 p.m.<\/p>\n An important tool<\/p>\n While the fine has never been levied, city officials say that it’s an essential tool in giving the ordinance teeth and making it easier to enforce.<\/p>\n “When we have the option, the conversation becomes easier,” said Robert Barr, deputy city manager, in a Friday morning phone interview.<\/p>\n Barr said that when the fine is in place, the community service or police officer can use it as part of the conversation.<\/p>\n “The officer can say something like, ‘I really need to ask you to wear a mask. I don’t want to issue a fine, so help me out here,’” Barr said.<\/p>\n Barr said that having the option of a fine makes the mitigation measures a requirement rather than a suggestion.<\/p>\n He said that Juneau’s police officers are not “generally hunting around” for mitigation scofflaws, but that the city does follow up when complaints come in.<\/p>\n “We aren’t out and about looking for people not wearing masks,” Barr said. “We don’t have the capacity for that.”<\/p>\n During Wednesday’s meeting, Assembly member Loren Jones said that most of the violations that come to his attention revolve around businesses with employees who are not wearing masks.<\/p>\n Jones said he supported reinstating the fine because it provides a tool for people tasked with enforcing the rules.<\/p>\n “We aren’t trying to raise revenue or do anything like that,” Jones said. “But, if the community service officer goes out and people just thumb their nose, that puts a lot of staff in an uncomfortable situation.”<\/p>\n [Aid aloft: Medevac organization gets new aircraft<\/a><\/ins><\/p>\n Yelp says its closed for good. When I was there this morning, there were for sale signs that mentioned the owners were retiring.<\/p>\n — David Reamer (@ANC_Historian) September 30, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n