On this edition of The Lowdown, we have a weekly check-in with members of Kodiak’s medical community — Dr. Elise Pletnikoff with Kodiak Area Native Association, nurse practitioner Elsa DeHart with the Public Health Center, and Dr. Steve Smith and Gina Bishop from Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a major shift in the way that Kodiak’s processors are doing business, and is jeopardizing the Bristol Bay summer fishing season. For the most part, because of their connection to the global market, processors have been ahead of the game in taking precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus into Alaskan communities. Paul Lumsden, Kodiak …

KMXT received this press release on April 7, 2020. It is posted here with minor editing. Issued: April 7, 2020 By: Commissioner Adam Crum, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and Dr. Anne Zink, Chief Medical Officer, State of Alaska Health Alert 011 – Safety Guidelines for Religious Services COVID-19 Health Mandate 11: Social Distancing, Item I.5 prohibits private …

On today’s edition of The Lowdown, we check in with Kodiak’s fishing community to find out how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the industry and the upcoming start to the summer fishing season. We talk to Matt Moier from Alaska Pacific Seafood, Paul Lumsden at Trident Seafoods, Julie Bonney at the Alaska Groundfish Data Bank, and Mike Friccero, owner of …

After drastically cutting flight services last week, this weekend RavnAir Group announced it would be halting all flights, laying off its remaining staff and filing for bankruptcy. Ravn employees at Kodiak airport were previously responsible for servicing Ravn turboprops as well as the daily Alaska Airlines jets from Anchorage. Now, Alaska Airlines says it’s working to hire back Kodiak’s recently …

On today’s edition of The Lowdown, we talk to executive director Sarah Phillips, from the Chamber of Commerce, and executive director Aimee Williams, from Discover Kodiak, about how local businesses are continuing to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss a new survey to measure the hit to Kodiak’s economy, and what residents can do to help keep local …

KMXT received this press release on April 3, 2020. It is posted here with minor editing.  Issued: April 3, 2020 By: Commissioner Adam Crum, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Dr. Anne Zink, Chief Medical Officer, State of Alaska Health Alert 010 – Recommendations Regarding the Use of Cloth Face Coverings Scientific evidence available to date indicates that asymptomatic and …

KMXT received this announcement from the city of Kodiak on Friday afternoon. It has been lightly edited for clarity. All persons arriving in Kodiak must self – quarantine as follows: 14 days from the time of arrival for those who have traveled by plane ; or 14 days from the date of departure from the LAST PORT OF CALL for …

On today’s edition of The Lowdown, we talk to Bal Dreyfus, Vice President of Matson Alaska to discuss shipping of goods to the island during the pandemic. We’ll also check back in with Mike Murray, manager at Safeway, about new measures to keep employees and shoppers safe, and how stocking the store is going.

Part 1: Part 2: On today’s edition of The Lowdown, we speak with Dr. Laura Platt, an infectious disease doctor based in Boston. In a conversation with Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center’s chief of staff Dr. Steve Smith and Kodiak Area Native Association’s Dr. Evan Jones, Platt breaks down how the coronavirus is transmitted and why it’s so much more …