In normal times, Dennis âPeteâ Petersen is one of a few people at the Chiniak Bay Elder House who can come and go whenever he wants. At 74, his lungs arenât in great shape, but most of the rest of him is. He can go shopping, grab a cup of coffee at Starbucks and shoot the breeze with friends.Â
But since March, he hasnât left. The Elder House has been, more or less, on lockdown since then.Â
Itâs a good thing, too. COVID-19 has hit long-term care facilities hard. More than 100,000 of all the virus deaths in the United States have been among residents or staff, according to data compiled by The New York Times.