I’m a nurse in Moab Regional Hospital. I work in our 7 bed ER, we have no ICU beds and 17 in patient beds, and about 40 RNs. EVERY DEPARTMENT is working overtime to prepare for COVID-19 and to keep people safe. That being said, our resources here are limited. Our community is small. Our grocery stores can barely keep up with the normal demands of busy tourist season, let alone the extra demand as people try to stock up for a few weeks.

TRAVELING IS NOT SOCIAL DISTANCING! You stop at places and touch door knobs, gas pumps, etc that others touch. You’re trying to be careful, but this is how germs spread. This is why it’s a pandemic.

We want to take care of people. We don’t want to be in a position where we are overwhelmed with sick people we don’t have resources for and may not be able to send somewhere bigger because they will be full and can’t take them. Or we can’t take care of other emergencies like heart attacks or strokes because we’re overwhelmed with moderate to critically ill COVID patients. PLEASE, don’t put me in the position where I have to ration care, where I can’t get what I need to give the best care possible. Some medical supplies (not just masks) are in demand and hard to get, as manufacturing has been disrupted for a couple months now. Most of us at Moab Regional are already putting in extra hours to prepare for this.

2% fatality may not sound like a lot but when it’s projected over 60 million could get it in the US, that could be well over 1 million dead-especially if it peaks in a short period of time, sending hundreds of thousands to the hospital in a short time. The fatality rate is much higher, almost 15%, in those over 80 years old, nearly 10% in 70 to 80 year olds last time I checked. Hence FLATTEN THE CURVE -slow the spread timeline so the peak drops, not overwhelming the healthcare system. We do that by staying home, limiting group size and limiting trips out and about.

I know people love the desert. So do I. We will take care of it for you until you can safely come. PLEASE stay home. And if you’d already here visiting, please go home and don’t add to the spread and stress of this disease on a small community. We’re only about 6000. Tens of thousands visit weekly. It won’t take many sick people at once in the hospital to stretch our resources thin. I promise, when this is over, we’ll be here, ready for you to come and celebrate! And we’ll celebrate with you! #flattenthecurve