Unalaska lifted its 'hunker down' order Wednesday, allowing Unalaskans to once again go into public and congregate in groups of more than 10 people. It also allows bars and restaurants to reopen to limited dine-in service at 50 percent capacity.
The order had been in place since early December, shortly after the island moved into its high coronavirus risk threshold in light of two cases of community spread and potential widespread exposure to the virus.
But on Tuesday, the city lowered its local COVID-19 risk factor back to "medium," following two weeks without a new case stemming from community spread.
In addition to lifting the 'hunker down' order, city councilors voted to continue existing protective measuresat their special meeting Wednesday. Those measures require that travelers quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Unalaska, face coverings be worn in businesses and organizations, and businesses post their COVID mitigation plans on entrances and exits.
The City Council also voted 6-0 to once again allow crews arriving by boat to count their time spent at sea towards the 14-day quarantine upon arrival in Unalaska. Councilors hadremoved that exception at a meeting in mid-December.
Councilors will revisit the island's COVID-19 health mandates at their meeting on Jan. 12.
