I am 67 years old and live in the beautiful White Mountains in Lakeside and as I drive around going about my business, I see many out-of-towners, mostly from Phoenix and Tucson. Now there are over 600 cases of COVID-19 in Navajo County. I understand that people love to get away from town and enjoy the outdoors. That's great and it is good for the economy up here, but there is a downside. Besides bringing in the threat of more asymptomatic carriers spreading the virus, shoppers from out of town compete for limited supplies of many items including, yes, toilet paper.
If you are planning a trip up here, please bring your own supplies, especially hard-to-get items. And please, practice social distancing and wear a mask in public, no matter your political views. We already have the one of the highest per-capita concentrations of the virus in the country. I have COPD already and I don't know if I'd survive this disease.
Bart Stegman
Lakeside, AZ
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
