FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  March 18, 2020

Contact: Sam Dapcevich, sam.dapcevich@alaska.gov, (907) 465-4503

AMHS Cancellation Fees Waived until April 8, 2020

Safety protocols are in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19

(KETCHIKAN, Alaska) – The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) is waiving cancellation fees until April 8, 2020. AMHS recognizes that its customers may decide to avoid discretionary travel at this time and is allowing reservations to be canceled without incurring a fee or penalty. To cancel or make changes to an itinerary you can contact the AMHS reservation call center at 1-800-642-0066 or call your local AMHS terminal.

The health and well-being of passengers and crew is a top priority for AMHS. In response to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), we are following federal government guidance to clean and disinfect our ships and terminals.

AMHS is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Coast Guard to ensure our methods and materials remain consistent and current for handling new developments related to COVID-19.

AMHS has implemented multilayer cleaning protocols to help prevent the spread of communicable diseases:

Intensified cleaning of our terminal facilities;

• Virox wipes are used to clean high touch areas; such as ticket counter/window areas, doors and tables.
• All terminal restrooms are disinfected three times per day and wiped down routinely throughout the day.
• There is a no contact policy between employees and customers – employees will distance themselves from customers when assisting.
• Our employees will follow a sanitization protocol after handling customers’ hand luggage, boxes and freight.
• Our employees will not be handling credit cards, they will request that customers read their credit card details.
• Signage with protocol for boarding vessels is being added to terminals and boarding areas.

Immediate steps already implemented onboard our vessels;

• All public restrooms are disinfected three times per day and wiped down routinely throughout the day.
• High touch areas such as handrails, countertops, door handles, drinking fountains and vending machines are sanitized several times per day.
• AMHS has temporarily removed certain food items such as; salad bars, self-serve and unwrapped food items from our cafes. These items can be requested from the cook, server or cashier.
• AMHS is providing regular training to our crew regarding the CDC advised cleaning practices.
• AMHS is using the CDC recommended disinfecting and sanitizing products.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities oversees 239 airports, 10 ferries serving 35 communities, over 5,600 miles of highway and 776 public facilities throughout the state of Alaska. The mission of the department is to “Keep Alaska Moving through service and infrastructure.”

# # #