Tag: coronavirus

A window in a sparse cel

COVID-19 outbreak at Goose Creek prison grows

The state has reported 110 cases at the facility, which is the state's largest prison.
Anchorage School District Superintendent Deena Bishop at Huffman Elementary School on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020.

Anchorage School District postpones start of in-person learning

Anchorage School District Superintendent Deena Bishop said she was pushing back the return to in-person learning because of increasing community spread of the coronavirus and rising demand on the city’s medical capacity.

Experts say Alaskans’ willingness to mask up is key to rebuilding the economy

Until the virus is under control, experts say the state’s economy will continue to suffer.
A woman in a white suit holds a blue surgical mask.

Alaska’s COVID-19 case count sets record over the weekend

The state reported 604 cases on Saturday, a single-day record.
A white man in a blue zipper jacket sits at a table and speaks

Gov. Dunleavy extends Alaska’s emergency declaration, health officials want him to do more

Congressional leaders feared the governor's declaration could be challenged in court.
Screen shot of woman in a blue blazer with flags behind her

Anchorage tightens exemptions on mask rule, limits gatherings as cases rise

Acting Anchorage Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson announced Friday the city will expand masking rules and tighten up permitted gathering sizes to combat the recent record-breaking surge in COVID-19 cases.
A square tan and grey building

Alaska’s Labor department says unemployed Alaskans will finally begin seeing additional funds Friday

The program promises to pay some unemployed Alaskans an extra $300 per week for up to six weeks.
A variety of face masks and face shields displayed on a table at Huffman Elementary School.

‘I hope someone can help us’: ASD’s decision to resume in-person learning faces growing scrutiny

Anchorage School District administrators and the teachers union provide starkly different views of how prepared classrooms are to welcome back students in less than two weeks.

Here’s how one Anchorage elementary school is preparing for in-person learning

Across the Anchorage School District, elementary school teachers and staff are preparing for younger students to return to classrooms on Nov. 16.
A female school nurse directs students in proper handwashing technique

Anchorage School District still plans to resume in-person learning for younger students on Nov. 16

Sunday’s update comes as the number of known coronavirus cases continues to skyrocket in the city, and as the district faces criticism from some for its decision to bring kids back to classrooms given the state of the pandemic.
Governor Dunleavy, wearing a greenish zip up jacket, gestures as he talks

On masks, Alaska Gov. Dunleavy tells local leaders to use power they say they don’t have

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has resisted imposing a mask mandate and maintains that such decisions are best made by local governments. But municipal officials in pockets of the state where COVID-19 is spreading fastest say they lack the legal power to require mask-wearing.
Two women wearing aprons and masks stand in front of shelves in a store

How the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped the first year of business for one Anchorage store

The owners say in this first year, they've sold enough shampoo and conditioner to keep nearly 700 plastic bottles out of the landfill, but their business looks a lot different than they thought it would, thanks to the pandemic.

The Alaska Psychiatric Institute says it’s resuming admissions after investigating COVID-19 cases

The decision is a reversal from Friday, when the health department said that the state-run psychiatric hospital would not admit new patients for two weeks after four of patients tested positive for the virus.
A sign on a beige wall that says "Anchorage Health Department"

Anchorage residents urged to stay home, reconsider travel plans as COVID-19 cases hit record highs

“If we continue on this path, our local hospitals could soon exceed their capacity,” said Anchorage Health Department director Heather Harris.
A nurse in a white suit, mask and clothes holds a vial

As coronavirus infections surge across the state, Alaska finds itself at ‘a tipping point’

Either Alaskans get the spread of the virus under control again, some health experts say, or infections will continue to multiply and could overwhelm the state’s health care system.
A female teacher points to a word projected on a white board in a classroom with three students sitting a tables facing the front of the classroom

Tutoring programs give a window into what reopened Anchorage schools may look like

The Anchorage School District's tutoring program is targeting children who most need in-person instruction, and testing out its protocols for when more students return to classrooms in November.
Chevak, AK. (Flickr Creative Commons photo)

180 Chevak residents have been newly infected with COVID-19. What happened?

Last week, the village has announced over 180 new cases of COVID-19, about 20% of the population.
A square tan and grey building

As the pandemic drags on, unemployed Alaskans are still waiting for more help

A $300 dollar per week boost in unemployment payments still hasn't arrived, and economists say that without more cash from the federal government, the entire economy is at risk.
two kids do their homework in separate booths at a restaurant

This Anchorage mom is trying to keep up with her kids’ online learning and keep a business afloat

It’s an impossible balancing act made all the more difficult because English is her second language.