Alaska travel

[280rem]

The requirements I read on travel to Alaska seem conflicting to me. How is everyone’s planning on how to handle this situation? Does anyone have any up to date experience with this? Been holding off finalizing plans till i get some good clarification but that hasn’t materialized yet. Seems they are requiring testing within 3 days prior to your arrival but from what I hear test results usually take 5+ days to get, which would make that impossible really. It seems like a bush hunt would be quarantine in itself except for all the things you have to do between landing in Alaska and being flown out. Just don’t want to have plans that are not realistic or are in violation. It doesn’t seem like this is all going away between now and then either.

 

[Kevin Dill]

First I think you're smart to be aware and have a plan. I think the plan should be logical, legal and have some back-up aspects to it. Here's what I'm doing:

Go to the official Alaska.gov site each week to keep up with current mandated travel restrictions. Know them by heart.

Get started at home with learning about how/where to get locally tested before your trip. Don't leave this to chance. Know exactly how to get a test prescribed and do everything possible to get results in that 72 hour window, assuming the requirement is still in effect.

Keep in contact with your connections in Alaska. Be aware of any advice or help they can provide. They have an interest in NOT having your trip be canned or interrupted.

If you do get held up in Alaska (positive test or waiting on results) know where you want to stay, that it's available, and they'll accept you.

Stay 100% legal and play it straight all the way. I don't recommend a strategy of thinking you can work around things or escape into the bush. Sure, it might be what some would do or advise, but I think of Alaska as a state of over 700,000 residents who deserve to have their laws and regs respected.

Keep a completely open and willing mind as the weeks move along ahead of your hunt. Adjust as necessary. Drop the stress because you can't control what you can't control. Have some faith and acceptance. We're all going through this together in many ways.

 

[Tod osier]

It seems to me that people are missing the requirement to be tested a second time 7 to 14 days after arrival. Our flight service (name withheld for multiple reasons) said that they will not fly people into the bush without the results of the second test. Given our constraints (Canadian border not open and we are planning to drive) our trip is 99 percent surely cancelled. I don't know how many pilots are taking that approach, but most hunts are going to be tough if you need to be there a week and a half before flying.

 

[Kevin Dill]

As it stands currently, travelers must have a negative test result within the 72 hour window prior to arrival in Alaska if they want to hit the ground running and not be held up. That's why it's imperative to do everything possible to get it set up weeks before you need it.

If you can't meet the 72 hr-negative objective, then you'll be delayed accordingly.

The 7-14 day test requirement is pretty much inescapable unless you're in a setting beyond your control. Most (but not all) hunters won't be in the bush more than 14 days which makes the second test potentially doable. To me, this is a definite gray area in terms of how people will adapt.

The current in-effect health mandate for interstate travel is number 10. Obviously this can change between today and any future date, so best to stay updated. With 100% of the info available online there's no excuse for hunters to be caught off-guard.

https://covid19.alaska.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/06152020-COVID-MANDATE-010.pdf

 

[Tod osier]

dept of health chart....

http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/Epi/id/PublishingImages/COVID-19/TravelChart_SM.png

just getting into alaska isn’t the problem I’m seeing. The requirement to minimize contact After the first test and before the second set of tests 7-14 days after arrival is the problem. Pretty tough to minimize contact if you are in a bush plane. I’m going by what our transporter is saying that he will not fly us without the results of the second test. If someone can get there 2 weeks ahead, that is not a problem (it wouldn’t be a problem for us if we weren’t driving).

I’d encourage Those with plans to investigate their pilot’s perspective. We had a long discussion with ours and he is informed by direct communications with the department of health.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Tod, your dhss flow chart is excellent and simplifies understanding the requirements. This is all good stuff toward understanding what a traveling hunter must do...as it stands today. In your case it looks like your pilot/air service is taking a very conservative approach toward the 'minimize interactions' requirement. I've yet to find a hard definition from the state on that phrase. Seems to be room for subjective interpretation (of allowable behaviors) perhaps.

This is why I made the statement in my above post: "Keep in contact with your connections in Alaska. Be aware of any advice or help they can provide. They have an interest in NOT having your trip be canned or interrupted."

 

[Tod osier]

Tod, your dhss flow chart is excellent and simplifies understanding the requirements. This is all good stuff toward understanding what a traveling hunter must do...as it stands today. In your case it looks like your pilot/air service is taking a very conservative approach toward the 'minimize interactions' requirement. I've yet to find a hard definition from the state on that phrase. Seems to be room for subjective interpretation (of allowable behaviors) perhaps.

This is why I made the statement in my above post: "Keep in contact with your connections in Alaska. Be aware of any advice or help they can provide. They have an interest in NOT having your trip be canned or interrupted."

Agree that he is taking a conservative approach, but my read of limiting contact with Alaskans Before the second test falls pretty solidly in line with not getting into a small plane. probably doesn’t matter For our plans since the Canadian border is unlikely to reopen July 22 And our plans are too tied to driving.


An additional concern that he has is that he does not want to be in the position to have to evacuate those who are Actively sick In the tight confines of a bush plane.

just want everyone to be able to be proactive.

 

[Murphy]

As I read the rules as long as you get a negative test within 3 days of traveling you can be on your way. It says to minimize your contact with others and get a test 7 to 14 days later. I will be minimizing my contact with others as much as possible but it doesn't require zero contact with others. To me I will only be in contact with maybe 3 or 4 people after I leave the airport and that is minimizing contact. One of those people will be a pilot as long as he is comfortable with that I will be social distancing by myself in caribou country. I will gladly take another test once I'm back in town before I fly home to satisfy the 2nd test portion of their rules. I'm in Michigan and have already scheduled a test for before I leave. Hopefully the results come through on time.

 

[gbflyer]

State changes daily seems like. Then some small communities are enacting tougher restrictions, I believe under mandate 18 section 3a. So check the community mandates also. Best advice was stated above, stay in touch with your contact.

We have 8 lodges here that have filed their plans with the city. They are doing a good job and the few guests are respectful of the rules. They show up with their 72 hour clean bill of health. Basically they go from their lodge room where they take all their meals, to the daily activity, and back to their lodge room.

I really, really hope that this passes very soon. I was reading just this morning all the scenarios for opening our local school. Not a good one.

Thanks to all the posters who are keeping up with the times in AK. Hope each and every one is able to visit in some fashion of normalcy.

 

[trapperJ]

Also be sure to check with any other towns and villages that you may be planning to pass through. Many have they're own rules that may be different than the State of AK's. Especially small remote villages

 

[justinspicher]

I’ve decided to not go. I understand the purpose behind Alaska’s decision, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

The requirements I read on travel to Alaska seem conflicting to me. How is everyone’s planning on how to handle this situation? Does anyone have any up to date experience with this? Been holding off finalizing plans till i get some good clarification but that hasn’t materialized yet. Seems they are requiring testing within 3 days prior to your arrival but from what I hear test results usually take 5+ days to get, which would make that impossible really. It seems like a bush hunt would be quarantine in itself except for all the things you have to do between landing in Alaska and being flown out. Just don’t want to have plans that are not realistic or are in violation. It doesn’t seem like this is all going away between now and then either.

my sister arrived yesterday. Her results weren’t back yet, but at the airport there is a line for testing. after 30 minutes of waiting they asked for everyone who had proof of testing to step into a Different line. It was very unorganized She said. She is in quarantine until her results come back.
Dillimgham is putting bracelets on new arrivals that show where you are at in the quarantine process.

 

[EJMK]

Following. And hoping this changes in a few months.

 

[beachbunny]

i was planning on heading back but i think i'll keep the sure thing job and then lay up in montana for the winter,then head back

 

[chinook907]

Instate testing in Alaska I would say is a bit of a mess. Getting the results from the testing I mean.

I made a brief trip outside to "America" last week, and on my return had a sample taken right at the Anchorage airport, which is very convenient and not too long a wait I should add.

Well that was coming up on 96 hrs ago and still no result. And now that I'm asking around I'm hearing up to 11 days for the results, even though I was told 3-5 days at the airport.

 

[Whip]

My partner and I think that we should be able to comply with the negative test within 72 hours requirement without trouble. But since our schedule will have us in a remote drop camp during the 7-14 day period for a second test we sent a question to Alaska asking what we could do about that follow up test requirement.
This is the response from the State:
"If you can comply with the requirement to minimize interactions during the 14 days after arrival, you do not need to retest after 14 days."

Now if the country can just keep the outbreaks from getting worse and going backwards on restrictions.

 

[Runningwater]

Do they define what "minimize interactions" means?

 

[Kevin Dill]

Do they define what "minimize interactions" means?

I've never found an official definition for that term and I don't think one exists. I truly believe it's a matter of encouragement and using the honor system to achieve majority compliance. I know for certain it is not intended to be interpreted loosely (do whatever you feel like doing) or as quarantined.

 

[Whip]

I haven't seen a definition of that either but believe that Kevin is correct. I take it to mean you limit yourself to "essential activities". Places like grocery stores, convenience stores, pharmacies, hardware stores etc. are on the list of essential activities. I agree that it seems to be on the honor system and haven't heard of any enforcement action for violations. But it's pretty much what I've been doing for the most part here at home anyway.

 

[greenheadkilla]

My partner and I think that we should be able to comply with the negative test within 72 hours requirement without trouble. But since our schedule will have us in a remote drop camp during the 7-14 day period for a second test we sent a question to Alaska asking what we could do about that follow up test requirement.
This is the response from the State:
"If you can comply with the requirement to minimize interactions during the 14 days after arrival, you do not need to retest after 14 days."

Now if the country can just keep the outbreaks from getting worse and going backwards on restrictions.

Whip, who specifically did you reach out to w/ your email? I will be in the same scenario on the 7-14 day window and would love to have that response saved in my email as well..... Thanks!