Mayor of Anchorage talks about what the city id going through due to the Coronavirus pandemic
April 17, 2020
At a new press conference held this Friday, April 17,2020, theMayor of Anchorage, Ethan Berkowitz, discussed current issues on the COVID-19 pandemic in the city.
The Mayor was asked his opinion on the governor's possible plan to re-open restaurants and businesses, to which Berkowitz replied that conditions in Anchorage are different from those of the rest of the state and announced to be working on a plan to re-open the Anchorage economy soon, however, he emphasized that this would happen very gradually.
In addition, he indicated that Anchorage has done a tremendous good job flattening the curve and congratulated the people of Anchorages for doing their part on helping delay transmission of the COVID-19 virus.
The city of Anchorage has a total of 150 cases, according to the latest data published by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services on Friday.
Mayor Berkowitz stressed that one of the biggest problems in coping with the disease is personal protection equipment (PPE) in the state, and health officials are trying as hard to make sure health care providers are as protected as possible.
The press conference also addressed the issue of mental health. Tad Sumner, a mental health therapist was present to talk about how to manage stress during these difficult times. "Schedule family time, try to be intentional in joy-generating activities," the health care professional suggested.
For her part, Julia Luey, vice president of treatment services at VOA Alaska, spoke about the behavioral health of adolescents and young children and how to see warning signs that they may be suffering. Luey said signs of abusing hallucinogenic substances in adolescents will cause distancing from lifelong friends and avoiding eye contact is also another sign of substance abuse. She encouraged citizens be alert of these to signs.
