A group of 50 doctors in Fairbanks have sent a letter to Gov. Mike Dunleavy, on Sunday asking that he enact a shelter-in-place policy for the entire state as well as a mandated travel ban.
“We are physicians from Fairbanks, Alaska, contacting you out of concern for our patients, our community and our fellow healthcare workers. We work in different medical specialties and clinical settings across Interior Alaska but we are unified in our expert medical advice:
“1. Alaska must have a shelter in place order immediately; and 2. Alaska needs a mandated travel ban.
“We are seeing a rise in laboratory confirmed COVID19 cases as well as a dramatic increase in patients presenting with symptoms that are clinically consistent with COVID19 infection here in Fairbanks.
“New data suggests that COVID19 infection appears to be predominantly spread by people who are minimally sick or asymptomatic. It is these very citizens who feel well and are not adopting the necessary social distancing measures that are spreading COVID19 in our community. We appreciate the steps that you have already taken to restrict travel and encourage Alaskans to stay home but it is becoming clear that the voluntary recommendations on travel and social distancing are proving inadequate. Many Alaskans have not adopted these necessary measures and continue to move around our community and the state without regard for the consequences.
“We implore you to take immediate action to help slow the spread of COVID19 so that our limited healthcare resources will not be overwhelmed. Acting today will save Alaskan lives.”
The letter was signed from a range of practitioners, including family medicine to specialists in the Fairbanks area.
Dr. Zink issued a public response to the doctors’ public letter:
We appreciate and understand the concern of these physicians from Fairbanks. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services’ epidemiology team is working around the clock on the response to this pandemic. Next steps are constantly evaluated and discussed several times a day. What all Alaskans need to do right now is make sure they are washing their hands, properly covering their cough or sneezes, practicing social distancing and staying home when they are sick. These steps will help everyone stay healthy. Every Alaskan who makes these changes helps mitigate the spread of this virus across our state, which could save the lives of our fellow Alaskans.”
