Fairbanksians Cope with Virus Mandates

By Aurora Barnes

Two and a half weeks after “non-essential” Alaskans were ordered to shelter-in-place as
a preventative measure, panic has, for the most part, ebbed and Fairbanks residents find the silver lining in hunkering down.

Shelter-in-Place Health Mandate 011, issued April 7 by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, essentially left “non-essential” Alaskans stuck at home, save for trips for groceries or other necessities. It also contributed to the closure of the university and many small businesses. Public transportation was suspended. Many Fairbanksians found themselves out of work, ripped from whatever structure they had established in their lives.

Yet some welcome these changes. Kaia Victorino, 20, sophomore biology major at UAF, doesn’t mind the empty streets; Now she has plenty of terrain for rollerblading, something she likes to do in her off-seasons from playing hockey. She welcomes the freedom from busy schedules. “Just complete gratitude,” as she put it, “that the world has slowed down for once from its frantic pace of modern productivity.”

Not that life is perfect. Victorino views her parents as conspiracy theorists. Lately they’ve been preparing for something big, like perhaps The Rapture, encouraging others in the family to rid themselves of sin and live wholly. They have been educating the family on how to properly handle the situation by showing demonstration videos and getting ready for Passover, the second week of April.

Victorino, who prefers information backed by science, indulges in the other family activities she does enjoy, like making ‘Slime” with her little sister. She finds it bizarre that her mom is fine with her leaving the house to go on a walk alone, but frantically denies permission to leave the house if there’s mention of others being involved in the plans. Kaia understands, but can’t help feeling defeated, being revoked of that privilege as a 20-year-old.

Closure of has campus really cost Emily Cohen, a 21-year-old UAF senior. First, she lost her university job as well. To save money, she moved from cabin, which she shared with two other students, back home with her parents. Then she was unable to get out of her lease, and had to continue paying rent at a place she wasn’t living at, with money she didn’t have, and found she was ineligible for unemployment.

To take her mind off of it all, she’s made staying in shape her lock-down priority. “Yoga every day is a big physical tip,” Cohen advised, praising the benefits of Fairbanks Yoga’s free virtual classes via Zoom, “Gives me a reason to get up in the mornings and feel present in my body.”

When not tuning in to yoga sessions, she’s also been able to use Zoom to have mass video chats with friends. But ultimately it’s yoga that’s been her cure, providing great relief facing bumps in the road, finding motivation for her research project and completing painting assignments before she graduates this semester. With the cancellation of the graduation ceremony, Cohen initially experienced feelings of extreme frustration, but they have diluted over time. She has a new mantra.”Just live and let go”.

The current situation in Fairbanks has allowed for a tighter sense of community in some ways. Fairbanks residents are making efforts to be there for one another and make the best of the situation.

Josh Chavez, a 22-year-old Fairbanks local, had just moved to Berlin after finishing his degree through UAF’s Theatre and Film Department. He was living large in Europe, making frequent trips to different countries. Then the virus started hitting very hard. He spent a huge portion of his savings on the first return flight home. “Happy to be able to spend this time with family again,” he said, “in such scary times.”

Life isn’t always fair in ‘the Banks’, but the community always seems to make the best out of it.