Almost one year after the city’s initial COVID-19 disaster declaration was first issued, the Kenai City Council voted unanimously to extend it for 61 days, or until the end of May.

In addition to giving city administration more flexibility in how they are able to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the extension will also extend temporary leave for city employees for COVID-related illness, the city’s moratorium on penalty and interest for water and sewer accounts and the city moratorium on water and sewer disconnect for non-payments.

The declaration was first issued on March 18, 2020 and has since been extended six times.

Kenai City Council member Teea Winger, who had previously said she would not vote to extend the declaration again, said that after consulting with state lawmakers, she would support extending the declaration to the end of May because that would leave it in place through the end of the school year and would allow more people to be vaccinated.

The Kenai Fire Department hosted a COVID-19 vaccine clinic on March 13 in Kenai where about 270 people were successfully vaccinated.

As of Thursday, the City of Soldotna’s disaster declaration is set to expire at the end of the month, while the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s was extended to the end of June.

Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.