March 22, 2020 The Honorable Michael Dunleavy Governor of Alaska 550 W 7th Ave #1700 Anchorage, AK 99501 Dear Governor Dunleavy, 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. Respectfully, Jenny Lessner, MD Family Medicine, with the following Physicians of Interior Alaska: Muhammad K Ahmed, MD Endocrinology Kendrick D. Blais, DO, FAAFP Family Medicine Nate Buffington, MD Family Medicine Mike Burton, MD Emergency Medicine Kate Carey, DO Osteopathic Manipulation Janice P. Chen, MD Radiology Terry Conklin, MD Emergency Medicine Dante Conley, MD, MSt, FACS General Surgery Barbara Creighton, MD, FACP Internal Medicine Hospitalist Peter Dillon, MD Family Medicine Urgent Care Kristin Flowers, MD, FACS General Surgery Julia Franklin, MD Family Medicine Maren Gaul, DO Dermatology Ken Glaeser, MD Emergency Medicine Anne Rutherford Hanley, DO Pediatrics Owen Wood Hanley DO, MPH Internal Medicine Hospitalist Eiluned Hogenson, MD Obstetrics & Gynecology Robin Holmes, MD Family Medicine Gayle Hornberger, DO Family Medicine Corrine Leistikow, MD Family Medicine Maria Mandich, MD Emergency Medicine Sally Mangum, DO, PhD Internal Medicine Sadie Marden, MD, MPH Obstetrics & Gynecology Peter Marshall, MD Family Medicine North Pole Bill McIntyre, MD Emergency Medicine Daniel McCulley, MD Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine J William McKenna, MD Obstetrics & Gynecology Janice Onorato, MD Neurology Jessica Panko, MD Radiology Stan Robinson, MD Emergency Medicine Kimberly Schumacher DO, Obstetrics & Gynecology Isaac Siegfried, MD Emergency Medicine Mark Simon, MD Emergency Medicine Claire Stoltz, MD Family Medicine Art Strauss, MD Emergency Medicine Ashley Lundren Strum, MD Internal Medicine Mike Strum, MD Internal Medicine Brian Tansky, MD Emergency Medicine Rebecca Taylor, DO Family Medicine Abraham Tsigonis, MD FACS General Surgery Jean Tsigonis, MD, MPH Family Medicine Kathryn Tsigonis, MD Family Medicine Haley Turner, MD Family Medicine Kerry Wappett, MD Obstetrics & Gyneology Shannon Wiegand, MD Family Medicine Greg Wood, DO Cardiology Romel Wrenn, MD FACC Cardiology Milton Wright, DO Osteopathic Manipulation