Statement from John MacKinnon

Commissioner, Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities

“On Friday night, to combat the spread of the COVID-19 disease, Anchorage announced a stay in place order effective Sunday, March 22, at 10 p.m. All our lines of work performing everything necessary to maintain “Critical Infrastructure” are exempt from this order because transportation is a critical business function. Transportation supports our communities, our economy and our industries—connecting people with essential life, health, commerce and safety access.

DOT&PF highway maintenance operators will continue to maintain our airports and roads, removing snow and ice, and keeping our essential transportation links open. Our construction staff will continue working on the important improvements that our communities need to increase safety, reduce congestion and protect infrastructure investments. At this time, all state owned airports and the Alaska Marine Highway System are open and operational.

While we will carry on with our important work for Alaska during these extraordinary circumstances, we will follow the guidance of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and the CDC. This includes social distancing, good hygiene and prohibiting gatherings of 10 or more. It’s worth repeating what many have said, we will get through this challenge – together.”