By China Cassidy In the past few weeks, there have been multiple cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Arizona and in Navajo County. Since then, grocery stores have struggled to keep up the demand on certain products, communities have been advised to socially distance themselves to prevent the spread of the virus and administrators have been doing what they can to sustain the calm in their communities. After Governor Doug Ducey announced on Thursday, March 19, that all dine-in establishments throughout Arizona would be required to close their dining areas and only offer take-out and delivery services beginning March 20 as part of the efforts to minimize exposure to the virus, Holbrook Mayor Merrill Young was asked how Holbrook is approaching the pandemic. Because a majority of Holbrook’s dine-in establishments are privately owned, Mayor Young took it upon himself to drop in and see that the establishments were not only complying with Governor Ducey’s executive orders, but to make sure the business owners were faring well through this difficult time. Young said, “A lot of our businesses had already started practicing certain things but I personally went myself and talked to all the restaurant and bar owners and explained to them what the ramifications of the executive order that Governor Ducey signed last night was.” Young said that all the business owners were very receptive and understanding of what was expected. “They’re not panicked but a lot of them are small businesses and they rely on day to day operations,” said Young, who added that he believes since a good portion of the businesses were already set up for take-out and delivery services, they will be able to continue operations. Young said that some business owners have even taken a positive approach and are looking at this as an opportunity to make some modifications to their businesses. Young also addressed the panic causing overbuying in the communities. “We as people of the community need to trust on each other. Don’t go after each other; help when you can, help especially the elderly and the handicapped individuals.” Mayor Young stated that in a conversation with the manager of Safeway, Greg Duran, he said they have been attempting to allow only seniors to shop for the first hour so they can safely get what they need before the rush of the general public. Unfortunately, other residents have decided not to comply with the request to let the seniors shop first and still show up at opening, which Mayor Young experienced first-hand when he went to check on things last Thursday morning. “It was like a black Friday rush through the door,” conveyed Young. He explained that the shortage is not just a result of Holbrook citizens overbuying but is also due to a lot of traffic coming from other towns and cities. “Unfortunately, we do have some outside influences. Nobody can contain that because we’ve got people coming from Gallup, Flagstaff, Albuquerque and even Phoenix. We’ve got one grocery store and a smaller population, and these people figure we’re a little better stocked than they are in the big cities so they’re coming up and raiding our stores. But it’s impossible to stand at the door and make everyone prove their residency,” explained the Mayor. With Safeway doing what they can to keep the shelves stocked, Young offered, “We need to have a lot more empathy and compassion for our neighbors, for our friends and for our families. People in this community, we all need to come together as a family and take care of each other. “It’s trying times. It’s hard for everybody. But there is going to be a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s just getting through it. Our actions shouldn’t be making it worse. The way I see it, we’re more of a detriment to ourselves than the virus if we keep going in the direction we’re going.” Mayor Young was asked why he believes that people are rushing to stock up on items such as toilet paper, eggs and milk, to name a few. Young replied, “There is absolutely no reason to be hoarding groceries and toilet paper and stuff like that, but everyone is doing it because the person in front of them is. It’s the pack mind mentality. Everybody thinks, they’re doing it, so I’ve got to do it. There is no rhyme or reason,” said the Mayor. Young said that if people would stop overbuying products they don’t need and stick to the things they do need without depleting the stores’ stock, it could potentially help alleviate some of the challenges faced by grocery stores. “A lot of people started panicking and wiped the meat counter out. In my conversation with Greg, he said that it’s not a supply problem.” Young explained that grocery stores state-wide are experiencing the same issue due to a shortage of truck drivers and trucks due to the new high demand. Young said that the citizens can do their due diligence by properly informing themselves and assuring that the information they are getting is from a credible source. “If you’re going to pay attention to anything, don’t pay attention to what people are posting (on social media). Pay attention to our state government, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and Arizona Department of Health. They’ve got good information. A lot of people are now under the impression, especially due to our social media and extremely crazy news stations, people are under the impression that if you get it (COVID-19) you’re going to die. According to the stats and everything that’s been said now, I think it was like only 80 percent of the people that are getting it, are getting a mild to medium case of it, just like the flu. It’s not a death sentence. This could be a good time to practice good hygiene and healthy eating,” offered Young Mayor Young said that citizens can do their part to take care of those who are at a higher risk, such as seniors and those with compromised immune systems. “Treat it like the flu. If you’re kid has the flu, do you send them to school? No. If you come down sick and you had to stay home from work, you would do it until you got well. Basically, that’s how you have to treat this,” said Young. “It’s time for people to stop blaming, stop criticizing and accepting the fact that this is real. Be nice to your neighbors. Take care of each other. When I say your neighbor, I mean the whole town. We don’t need to act like a bunch of crazies, we need to act as family, they are your family. Doesn’t matter what color, what age or sex you are, it doesn’t matter. Treat each other as if they’re you’re brother and sister. Slow down, take a breath and we’ll get through this,” concluded Young. City Manager Ted Soltis was also sought out and asked what the city’s role is considering the issues caused by the COVID-19 panic. Soltis responded, “In compliance with the order, the city has closed the gym and recreation center. The library has cancelled programs and closed the building to public traffic. For resident’s convenience, the library has implemented a curbside service. City staff are using best practices to prevent the spread of the virus should it come to the City of Holbrook. On the police department website, the chief has outlined how the department will continue to ensure the safety of residents. In the meantime, government business will continue as usual. We urge residents to follow the advice of the health officials.”
