Alaskans will receive an extra $300 a week in unemployment insurance, but not for about two months, Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Monday during his weekly press conference.
Alaska has been approved to receive about $62 million in federal grant funding through the Lost Wages Assistance program under FEMA, according to a Monday release from the governor’s office.
The grant funding will guarantee $300 a week in unemployment benefits on top of what people already receive through state unemployment insurance.
This money is meant to replace the $600 per week in federal unemployment that Americans had received until the end of July.
The disbursement of the funds will be retroactive from the date that the federal unemployment payments ended, Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Tamika Ledbetter said during the press conference.
It is unclear, however, when unemployed Alaskans will start to see these new benefits. Cathy Munoz, deputy commissioner of the state’s labor department, said in an email to the Clarion on Monday that it would take about eight weeks for the program to be implemented.
Ledbetter confirmed at the press conference that it would be at least six weeks before people started to see the funds.
When asked how unemployed Alaskans should handle their ongoing expenses while waiting for the additional benefits, Dunleavy said that was a difficult question to answer.
“There’s no doubt it’s going to be difficult for people. This whole thing has been difficult,” Dunleavy said. “We’re going to do all we can to get the money moving, but I’m not in a position to dispense advice on how people should handle it individually. I know they’re going through some tough times, and we’re going to do our best on our end to get that money in their hands as soon as possible.”
COVID-19 in Alaska: By the numbers
With 66 new cases reported on Sunday and another 72 on Monday, Alaska’s Department of Health and Social Services reported a total of 138 cases in the last two days, only one of which was a nonresident. These numbers include eight new hospitalizations and one new death. The death was reported on Sunday as a Fairbanks man in his 70s. The press release announcing his death noted that he had underlying health conditions.
Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink spoke briefly at Monday’s press conference about what underlying health conditions can lead to an increased risk of hospitalization or death for those who have contracted COVID-19. An infographic developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and shared by Zink Monday showed that asthma, hypertension, obesity, diabetes and chronic kidney disease are some of the biggest risk factors associated with the novel coronavirus.
Zink has said repeatedly, including most recently in a tweet Sunday night, that almost half of Alaskans have at least one of these underlying health conditions.
Currently, there are 40 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 statewide who are hospitalized. Another three hospitalized patients are under investigation for having COVID-19. Of those 43 patients, eight currently require treatment on a ventilator.
Statewide there have been 330,503 COVID-19 tests conducted as of Monday. The positivity rate of tests processed in the last seven days in 1.64%. Dunleavy said at Monday’s press conference that Alaska is currently leading the rest of the nation in terms of tests per capita and is among the lowest in overall positivity rates.
On the Kenai Peninsula, a total of 15,290 tests have been conducted, for a seven-day positivity rate of 1.74%. This includes 4,247 tests at Central Peninsula Hospital, 7,473 tests at South Peninsula Hospital and 637 tests at the Seldovia Village Tribe Health and Wellness clinics. As of Aug. 21, the Ninilchik Community Clinic had also conducted 1,525 tests.
Testing on the Kenai Peninsula
On the central peninsula, testing is available at Capstone Family Clinic, K-Beach Medical, Soldotna Professional Pharmacy, Central Peninsula Urgent Care, Peninsula Community Health Services, Urgent Care of Soldotna, the Kenai Public Health Center and Odyssey Family Practice. Call Kenai Public Health at 907-335-3400 for information on testing criteria for each location.
In Homer, testing continues to be available from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at South Peninsula Hospital’s main entrance as well as through SVT Health & Wellness clinics in Homer, Seldovia and Anchor Point. Call ahead at the hospital at 907-235-0235 and at the SVT clinics at 907-226-2228.
In Ninilchik, NTC Community Clinic is providing testing on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The testing is only for those traveling, symptomatic, needing testing for medical procedures, or with a known exposure after seven days. Only 20 tests will be offered per day. To make an appointment to be tested at the NTC Community Clinic, call 907-567-3970.
In Seward, testing is available at Providence Seward, Seward Community Health Center, Glacier Family Medicine and North Star Health Clinic.
Reach reporter Brian Mazurek at bmazurek@peninsulaclarion.com.
