JUNEAU, ALASKA Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Friday that COVID-19 vaccines would be made available at key airports in the state starting June 1, in unveiling plans aimed at bolstering the state s pandemic-battered tourist industry. Dunleavy, a Republican, outlined plans for a national marketing campaign aimed at luring tourists using federal aid money and said the vaccine offering is probably another good reason to come to the state of Alaska in the summer. Dunleavy and other state leaders have been pushing to allow large cruise ships to return to Alaska after COVID-19 restrictions kept them away last year, hitting hard businesses and communities, particularly in southeast Alaska, that rely heavily on summer tourism.
Alaska to offer tourists COVID-19 vaccines starting June 1
By BECKY BOHRERApril 17, 2021 GMT
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Friday that COVID-19 vaccines would be made available at key airports in the state starting June 1, in unveiling plans aimed at bolstering the state’s pandemic-battered tourist industry.
Dunleavy, a Republican, outlined plans for a national marketing campaign aimed at luring tourists using federal aid money and said the vaccine offering is “probably another good reason to come to the state of Alaska in the summer.”
Dunleavy and other state leaders have been pushing to allow large cruise ships to return to Alaska after COVID-19 restrictions kept them away last year, hitting hard businesses and communities, particularly in southeast Alaska, that rely heavily on summer tourism.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska â The state of Alaska will begin offering COVID-19 vaccinations to tourists arriving and departing the state through four of its biggest airports starting June 1, Gov. Mike Dunleavy has announced.
âThe idea is that we have access to vaccines, so why not use them? So this is what weâre saying to our tourists: If you come to Alaska â and this will start on June 1 â if you come to Alaska, you get a free vaccination,â he said on Friday.
The vaccinations will be offered at the Anchorage, Juneau, Ketchikan and Fairbanks airports, said Heidi Hedberg, director of the Alaska Division of Public Health.
(AP Photo/Michael Dinneen)
The Republican governor of Alaska, Mike Dunleavy, has a plan to bring back Alaskan tourism. He announced a plan to offer COVID-19 vaccinations at several of the state’s airports. Starting on June 1, travelers flying into Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Ketchikan can receive a vaccination in a clinic outside the security area.
Alaska is dependent on tourism and the state’s economy has taken a hit during the coronavirus pandemic. Governor Dunleavy made the announcement at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage. He outlined plans for a national marketing campaign aimed at tourists using federal aid money in the American Rescue Plan Act. He said that offering the vaccine is “probably another good reason to come to the state of Alaska in the summer.” The state has a larger supply than demand. It was the first state to drop restrictions on who could get a COVID-19 vaccine. Last month it opened eligibility to anyone 16 or older who lives or wo