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 ...