The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services announced 20 new resident cases of COVID-19 on Friday. Two cases came from the Kenai Peninsula Borough. The state’s cumulative case count is now 836. There were also ten new nonresident cases.

Alaskans no longer need to mail, email, or fax in their absentee ballot applications. In a release issued on Wednesday, the Division of Elections announced that the state has opened up an online application process.

Alaska businesses now have access to a new suite of printable resources to help encourage COVID-19 precautions among employees and customers. The COVID-Conscious Business Toolkit features Alaska-themed artwork to communicate and encourage measures, such as physical distancing and mask wearing.

Skyline and Hideout trails, and the Fuller Lakes trail segment between Lower and Upper Fuller Lakes on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge are again open to the public following their closure due to damage incurred during the 2019 Swan Lake Fire.

The first five pups, four females and one male, were all found stranded in the Cook Inlet area. The most recent male pup, found on June 15, is from Juneau. All of the seals admitted to the program arrived malnourished and dehydrated, but with no other significant injuries. The pups are all in similar stages of recovery, receiving fluids and supplemental tube feedings.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services announced 25 new resident cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. Three cases came from Homer, one from Seward, and one from the Northern Kenai Peninsula. The state’s cumulative case count is now 816.

The City of Soldotna voted against an ordinance to enact a city-wide vote-by-mail hybrid system during their council meeting on Wednesday, June 24. The vote was unanimous, with six no votes against zero yes votes.

Upper Cook Inlet Commercial Fishing Announcement No. 6 opens commercial salmon fishing with set gillnets in the Kasilof Section of the Upper Subdistrict from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 25, 2020.

The House Health and Social Services Committee held a hearing on Tuesday to examine the status of the pandemic in Alaska, and to discuss the public health challenges created by the disease. The hearing was prompted by the number of people with COVID-19 in Alaska has steadily increasing over the past few weeks. 

Every Alaskan has a stake in smart wildland fire prevention and management, so the Division of Forestry is holding a contest to give every Alaskan the chance to name its new “Take Time To LEARN Before You Burn” moose.