The coronavirus pandemic has forced companies to do business differently and, in some cases, monitor their employees’ health closer than ever.
Business
Alaskans want to ride. But a pandemic bicycle boom is making supplies scarce.
As residents look for respite from stay-at-home orders and gym closures, Alaska bike shops are reporting a surge in demand.
Juneau Assembly poised to commit $1M to child care providers
The grant program would pay child care providers with CARES Act money through the end of the calendar year.
A Southeast Alaska tour operator is reviving a small regional ferry
The Rainforest Islander ferry once connected Wrangell, Coffman Cove and Mitkof Island near Petersburg. A veteran tour operator in Wrangell hopes to turnaround a ship that’s had years of bad luck.
Initial unemployment insurance claims keep dropping, but economists urge caution
In a normal year, tourism and construction would be heating up around this time.
Alaska faces a ‘generational loss’ as small business owners turn out the lights
Despite unprecedented government aid pouring into the state, the COVID-19 pandemic is pushing Alaska’s local businesses to the brink. Some are already calling it quits.
‘Sometimes we get bored’: Unalaska fish processors work back-to-back seasons to keep their jobs
Managers decided that keeping workers on the island would help prevent new arrivals — many of whom come from other countries — from bringing in the coronavirus.
Alaska could be empty of tourists this summer. For residents, there’s an upside.
Some Alaskans see a possible silver lining in the devastation: A spring and summer in a world-class tourist destination — without the tourists.
As the state lifts restrictions, some Juneau bars and restaurants aren’t rushing to reopen
Many business owners in Juneau say that while the COVID-19 closures have devastated their businesses, they’re not rushing to open their doors, either.
Unemployment benefits going out Friday for self-employed and gig workers
After weeks of waiting, the Alaska Department of Labor says unemployment benefits will start going out to self-employed, contract, and gig-economy workers beginning Friday.