15 Mar March Update
Here is the updated travel mandates for folks headed up to Alaska this summer (as of 2/14/2021) this info was found on travelalaska.com
Alaska’s travel mandates and orders are now travel advisories. These processes and best practices, although not required, are still encouraged by the Alaska Travel Industry Association (ATIA) and Governor Dunleavy’s administration. ATIA, the state’s leading membership association for Alaska’s travel industry strongly encourages all travelers to Alaska to test for COVID-19 before they arrive or test when they enter the state. We also ask that all travelers to our state are diligent and follow protocols to keep you and our communities safe.
Please check with local jurisdictions and tour operators that you will be using as they may have individual requirements for traveling to and in respective communities.
The current state health advisories provide pathways for people to travel responsibly and experience Alaska’s wide-open spaces. It’s incredibly important to our member businesses and tourism sector that we continue to reopen and welcome more out-of-state travelers this year.
Questions on traveling to Alaska or State of Alaska health advisories? E-mail the Alaska Traveler Information Hotline or call 1-907-258-4217, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (AST), Monday – Friday.
ATIA continues to provide important and timely travel information regarding COVID-19 and its variants to ensure safe and reliable travel decisions for those visiting the 49th state.
Alaska’s newest health advisory for international and interstate travel, which went into effect on February 14, 2021, provides clear guidance for all travelers – including those with proof of COVID-19 vaccination – to do one of the following when entering Alaska (by land, sea or air) to mitigate the transmission and control the spread of the COVID-19 virus and its variants.
- Obtain molecular-based test 72 hours before departure and upload negative result into the Alaska Travel Portal.
- If tested 72 hours before departure and awaiting results, travelers should upload proof of test taken into the Alaska Travel Portal and quarantine at personal expense while waiting.
- If a non-resident arrives without a pre-test, free testing is available upon arrival at the airport. The traveler should quarantine at personal expense while waiting on results.
- Also recommended is to take a second test taken between 5 and 14 days after arrival.
A special note for fully-vaccinated travelers:
- Fully-vaccinated travelers are defined as more than two weeks following receipt of the second dose in a two-dose series, or more than two weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine
- Fully-vaccinated travelers should follow pre-travel testing protocols, but do not need to practice strict social distancing while they await test results.
International visitors: effective January 26, 2021, the U.S Centers for Disease Control requires all air passengers arriving to the U.S. from a foreign country get tested for COVID-19 infection no more than three (3) days before their flight departs and to provide proof of the negative result or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 to the airline before boarding the flight. In addition to CDC requirements, international passengers remain subject to the State of Alaska’s highly recommended testing guidelines.
Beginning February 14, 2021, Alaska’s updated health advisory for travelers going from a community located on the road system (including the Alaska Marine Highway System) to a community not located on the road system should follow these highly-recommended protocols:
- Obtain a molecular-based test 72 hours before departure, and follow strict social distancing until negative test results are available.
- If a traveler does not get a molecular-based test for COVID-19, they should follow strict social distancing for 14 days at final destination.
The Canadian border remains closed to non-essential road traffic until further notice. See the latest updates here.
Alaska’s health advisories are subject to change. As COVID-19 vaccine is more widely distributed, Alaska will continue to reopen responsibly. Alaska – and the families, businesses and communities that benefit from Alaska tourism – are here for you and will work with you to ensure your dream trip to Alaska becomes a reality. Be sure to research cancellation policies with individual tourism businesses.
More information can be found on the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services dedicated travel information website. We encourage travelers continue to be aware of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) travel updates.
Thank you for traveling safe!