Mat-Su Coalition on Aging concerned about Don Young’s remarks

To the editor:

The public health emergency declared as a result of COVID-19 concerns all of us. The facts and recommendations from the most credible of state and federal public health experts provide the best guidance for how we can best protect our families and communities from contagion. What were suggestions last week have become mandated actions this week as the gravity of the risk is more apparent. Everyone has a role to play, and it’s particularly important to Valley residents because our senior population is growing faster than anywhere else in Alaska. Seniors are among those highly vulnerable to the most severe consequences of this new virus, the group for whom the mortality rate from COVID-19 is the highest.

For that reason the Mat-Su Coalition on Aging was concerned to learn of Congressman Don Young’s remarks to the Chamber of Commerce and the many seniors in the audience last week, as reported in these pages. Changes in how we do things really are necessary; failing to adapt is a risk we can’t afford.

The situation is rapidly changing, with limitations now imposed on the operations of senior centers, some senior housing, restaurants, and health care providers among others. It’s simply no longer possible to go forward with everyday activities, and a person can be a danger to others as well as themselves unless they participate in the recommended changes: social distancing, more and better hand washing with soap and water, liberal use of disinfectant products on commonly touched surfaces, resisting the urge to touch your face. COVID-19 is a very real risk to the health and well-being of many if we don’t take every step we know to prevent it from taking hold in our community.

The Mat-Su has excellent health care options, but the capacity is limited. Let’s do everything possible so that we don’t exceed that capacity and compound bad outcomes.

We do not believe that changing behaviors in the short term or altering our habits is some kind of overblown hysteria. The changes we all should be making now are reasonable. There are very good sources of information available that are frequently updated. We recommend the State of Alaska’s website, where the link to the most current information for Alaska from the Department of Health and Social Services / Division of Public Health is in a red box at the top.

— Mat-Su Coalition on Aging

Derrick Pennington, Chair