2020 tests limits of Arctic adaptation
December 31st, 2020 |
1. Arctic struggles with pandemic and its impacts to education, health
Across the Arctic, as well as the state, nation and globe, the dominant story of 2020 was the COVID-19 pandemic. For rural Alaska, however, the pandemic brought back memories of the Spanish flu, which decimated many in Alaska's Native villages, in some cases leaving only a handful of survivors.
While the state braced for impact shortly after spring break, closing schools, restaurants and many service industries and limiting travel between communities, rural Alaska did not see immediate outbreaks, despite fears that prompted many communities to restrict travel and require testing and quarantines for all people arriving via air.