Fully vaccinated employees in Anchorage workplaces separated from the public as well as unvaccinated employees will no longer have to wear masks, city officials announced Tuesday.
The change to Anchorage’s mask mandate comes as an increasing proportion of residents have received the COVID-19 vaccine. By Tuesday, 40.1% of people over the age of 16 had been vaccinated with at least one dose in Anchorage.
The change represents a balance between advances in vaccines and the use of masks as a critical tool to reduce COVID-19, according to an email from Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson.
The city’s previous masking order required all employees to wear masks when they were with other people.
But now, employees who are fully vaccinated – which means two weeks after a second vaccine of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two weeks after a single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine – do not have to wear a mask if they are not both the public and employees who have not been vaccinated.
“Employers are responsible for verifying the vaccination status of their employees in a manner consistent with workplace anti – discrimination legislation,” the statement said.
The order changes took effect Tuesday afternoon. People are still needed in indoor public places and at outside in public, officials said.