The COVID-19 pandemic emergency may have officially ended, but the coronavirus is still having an effect on the Alaska Capitol.<\/p>\n
On Friday, the leaders of the Alaska Senate Finance Committee announced they will institute “voluntary” COVID testing for legislators and staff who work on the committee.<\/p>\n
The announcement came after several legislators and staff tested positive for COVID.<\/p>\n
Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, said that with all three committee co-chairs (including himself) calling for voluntary testing, it’s voluntary in the same sense that an Army sergeant asking for volunteers is voluntary.<\/p>\n
“We’ve had too many hot cases of COVID in the building, and we’re worried about having the Senate Finance Committee slowed down or even stopped,” he said.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere in the building, the chairs of the House and Senate rules committees issued a joint memo calling on legislators and staff to stay home if they are ill or test positive for COVID-19.<\/p>\n
“It’s running through the building,” said Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage and the Senate Rules chair.<\/p>\n
Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, D-Anchorage and chair of the Legislative Council, said there have been no changes in the Capitol’s COVID policy so far.<\/p>\n
Last year, legislators dropped an anti-COVID testing and masking policy in February and declined to reinstate it even after cases rose and lawmakers canceled some work.<\/p>\n
Masking and testing remains voluntary for staff and legislators.<\/p>\n
At least one member of the state House has been ill with COVID and away from the Capitol this week. A bill from Rep. Stanley Wright, R-Anchorage, was scheduled for a vote on the House floor this week, but that vote was postponed because of his illness.<\/p>\n
A scheduled House floor session on Friday turned into a technical session, but that wasn’t just because of COVID absences, said Speaker of the House Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla.<\/p>\n
Many legislators had already gone to their home districts for the weekend.<\/p>\n