It was on March 22nd, ten days after the confirmation of the first COVID-19 case in Alaska, that Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz issued an “Emergency Hunker Down Order,” and it took effect in Alaska’s largest metropolitan area in Southcentral Alaska.

While that was the first officially recognized order in the state, rural communities throughout the state had already begun restricting travel into their communities as they worked to isolate themselves.

Six COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Ketchikan the day before. By the 24th, three more cases were reported, and it continued to spread to 14 cases by April 1st.

Three days later, on March 25th, Alaska’s governor Mike Dunleavy initiated a 14-day self-quarantine for individuals coming into the state.

  Alaska, Anchorage, covid