Haines Borough has asked the governor’s administration for a waiver allowing the community to set more restrictive social-distancing measures to promote community safety.

At a town hall meeting Tuesday, borough manager and Emergency Operations Center incident commander Debra Schnabel said the borough has taken this step in response to concerns raised by community members about workers from the fishing and construction industry entering the community. Because the state has classified these jobs as necessary to support critical infrastructure, workers entering Haines from other parts of the state are exempt from 14-day quarantine requirements. 

Schnabel said she has received questions about why the borough is not doing more to keep people from entering the community. The answer is that the borough is not allowed to, she said. The same state mandate that limits travel between communities to people traveling to support critical infrastructure or for critical personal need, says that the mandate supersedes all local mandates. The only communities allowed to pass more stringent travel restrictions are communities of less than 3,000 that are removed from the road system.

Angoon and Hoonah have passed measures calling all residents home and barring nonresidents from entering, but Haines is unable to pass these same restrictions because it is on the road system.

Schnabel said communities including Haines and Petersburg are appealing to the governor’s office to allow local autonomy so communities can set rules specific to their needs. Right now, they are waiting to hear a final decision from the governor.

At the town hall, Haines resident Tom Morphet said borough leaders should prioritize the safety of residents rather than waiting for permission from the state. He said he was under the impression that the government can do as it pleases until a court tells it otherwise.

Schnabel said the borough is in discussion with its attorney about the matter and hopes to use this discussion to inform decisions at next week’s assembly meeting. The borough’s 14-day quarantine resolution, which is set to expire on April 30, is in conflict with the state’s mandate as it is more stringent than current state travel restrictions, Schnabel said.

The Haines Borough Assembly meets next on April 14.