On Thursday morning the Skagway Development Corporation and Skagway Visitor Department hosted a virtual town hall meeting with both Alaskan Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan.
The Senators led off with opening remarks followed by questions from the community. Mayor Andrew Cremata wondered if an agreement could be reached to open the border between Skagway and Whitehorse for vaccinated travelers. Much like the agreement that had recently been reached between the small border towns of Stewart BC and Hyder Alaska which allows the residents of Hyder to access the facilities in Stewart.
“We’ve reached quote-unquote herd immunity here in Skagway. Everyone that’s wanted to have a vaccine has been able to get one at this point. And so moving into the season if our border could be open, not just for people going into Canada from Skagway but people from the Yukon coming down into Skagway, it would be a tremendous lifesaver for this community,” said Cremata.
Senator Sullivan explained that he’s been working directly with the Canadian Minister of Transportation about topics such as these, and thought that Skagway achieving herd immunity should carry major weight. Senator Murkowski suggested that the best approach is to get Canadians to pressure their lawmakers and federal officials to open the border.
Murkowski also touched on the Passenger Vessel Services Act waivers that have been introduced by Don Young into the House of Representatives and by both Murkowski and Sullivan into the Senate. That act requires large foreign-flagged passenger ships to stop in Canada before returning home from Alaska, and the waivers seek to gain temporary relief from that regulation.
“Legislation like this is not going to happen unless we have the administration that recognizes that this is going to be key not only for Alaska’s economy but really for the betterment of the region,” said the Senator.
According to Murkowski, Skagway and Denali Township are the two hardest-hit communities in the country to be affected by the Covid lockdown, and more needs to be done to make sure the unique economies can weather the lack of tourism.
One of the difficulties facing both senators seems to be how Congress has passed legislation designed to help, but regulations are still in the works by the treasury department, leading to a lag time between when the funds are appropriated, and when they may actually arrive.
“There is support that will be coming, but my hope is that it doesn’t come too late,” said Murkowski.
