As help arrives in Alaska, the state reports over 1,000 COVID cases Friday and another hospital shifts to crisis care standards

Plus: Testimony over an Anchorage mask ordinance will continue for a fourth night on Monday, and Alaska Air will require COVID-19 vaccinations for employees. Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( [Anchorage Daily News]( Support independent reporting on what Alaskans care about most. [Subscribe today.]( Good afternoon. It’s Friday, October 1. In today's newsletter: - Alaska reports over 1,000 COVID cases Friday as ANMC shifts care standards and gets help from Outside workers. - Testimony over an Anchorage mask ordinance will continue for a fourth night on Monday. - In a policy shift, Alaska Air is requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for employees. What are you having for breakfast tomorrow? It's never too soon to ask that question. Here's a culinary concoction from Anchorage-based food writer Kim Sunée that you might want to try: [fried egg sandwiches on cheddar jalapeño biscuits](. Sunée says they're "fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside." ⛅ Anchorage weather Partly sunny skies this afternoon, with a high near 46 expected. There's a 10% chance of snow early tomorrow morning, then expect partly sunny skies and high temperatures in the low 40s for the rest of the weekend. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Ryan Cunningham, rcunningham@adn.com [Alaska reports over 1,000 COVID cases Friday as ANMC shifts care standards, gets help from Outside workers]( [Alaska reports over 1,000 COVID cases Friday as ANMC shifts care standards, gets help from Outside workers]( Alaska on Friday reported 1,044 new COVID-19 cases and one death as Alaska Native Medical Center shifted to crisis standards of care to give staff more flexibility in treating patients. So far, no care has been rationed at ANMC, all patients have been able to receive the care they need, and the hospital is managing, said the hospital administrator, but the shift reflects how ANMC has had to adapt to added pressure on its resources. [Read More]( [Testimony over Anchorage mask ordinance to continue for a 4th night Monday ]( [Testimony over Anchorage mask ordinance to continue for a 4th night Monday]( On Thursday, several Assembly members and Mayor Dave Bronson called on the public to behave with civility and respect after insults and outbursts dominated the previous day of public testimony over the city's proposed mask mandate. The next round of testimony will take place Monday evening. [Read More]( [In policy shift, Alaska Air requires COVID-19 vaccine for employees]( [In policy shift, Alaska Air requires COVID-19 vaccine for employees]( Alaska Air Group told its 22,000 employees Thursday evening that they will be required to get a COVID-19 vaccination, with some exceptions. That replaces the policy Alaska announced last month, which paid vaccinated employees $200 and required regular testing for others. [Read More]( [Curious Alaska: Why are there so many split-level houses in Anchorage?]( [Curious Alaska: Why are there so many split-level houses in Anchorage?]( A split-level — a house where the entry is at a "split," on a landing between sets of steps that lead upstairs and downstairs — is among the most common configurations of single-family homes in Anchorage. The style became popular in the 1950s and 1960s, just as Anchorage was coming of age as a city. [Read More]( [‘Watching themselves die’: Fairbanks nurse describes panic and ‘air hunger’ among COVID patients in video encouraging vaccination]( [‘Watching themselves die’: Fairbanks nurse describes panic and ‘air hunger’ among COVID patients in video encouraging vaccination]( Amanda Frey, a nurse at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, says she made the video so people who see it take notice and "don’t take the decision to vaccinate or not vaccinate lightly." "Many patients, I’ve gone into the room, and I’m there to deliver the last dose of medicine they’ll get in their life, and I pull up the computer and it shows they wanted a COVID vaccine," she says. "It’s so sadly ironic. And it’s too late." [Read More]( More from the ADN [Alaska Gov. Dunleavy rejects House leader’s request to cancel upcoming special session due to high COVID-19 rates]( [Alaska Gov. Dunleavy rejects House leader’s request to cancel upcoming special session due to high COVID-19 rates]( [Read More]( [Alaska man killed by metal tool that fell from truck on Massachusetts highway]( [Palmer man killed by metal tool that fell from truck on Massachusetts highway]( [Read More]( [This year’s Alaska Permanent Fund dividend amount is $1,114]( [This year’s Alaska Permanent Fund dividend amount is $1,114]( [Read More]( [Alaska Native corporations slowly approach shared revenue ‘cliff’]( [Alaska Native corporations slowly approach shared revenue ‘cliff’]( [Read More]( [The Postal Service is about to charge you more for slower mail. Here’s why.]( [The Postal Service is about to charge you more for slower mail. Here’s why.]( [Read More]( The ADN relies on readers like you. [Get digital access to the ADN for about $4 per week]( and help us cover the news that matters most here in Alaska. 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