Column: Should anyone over 65, including doctors, be going to work during the coronavirus crisis?

My plan was to stroll El Matador Beach in Malibu, then drive to Griffith Park for a hike, both of which could be done while maintaining a safe distance from anyone.

But I’ve had a Medicare card in my wallet for a year and a half, and on Sunday, Gov. Gavin Newsom told me along with the state’s other 6 million seniors to self-isolate at home until further notice.

The coronavirus, of course, carries a higher danger for older folks.

“We are prioritizing their safety,” Newsom said.

I’m still getting used to being called a “senior,” or “elderly,” which can mean anything from 65 to 105. It stings a bit to be singled out by age, but putting ego aside and public health front and center, is it my civic duty to stay home?

And if so, what exactly does that mean? Should I use a fishing pole to reel the newspaper in from my driveway?

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The City of Santa Monica closed the Santa Monica Pier in an attempt to prevent the further spread of the Coronavirus. Very few people were on the beach in Santa Monica as the epidemic continues.  (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

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Volunteer Nagma Shakur, 16, left, hugs her “Grannie” as she helps senior shoppers with their carts at the Grocery Outlet Bargain Market in Altadena.  (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)

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People walk up the ramp, exiting the secure area at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.  (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)

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David Barker, 56, is visiting with his friend living in a tent on skidrow in Los Angeles. Barker, who is not homeless, works in the area.   (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

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Dr. Dallas Weaver, 79, and his wife, Janet Weaver, 75, of Huntington Beach, walk on the Huntington pier.  (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

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Seniors, including Eileen Oda Leaf, 67, left, and her husband Dave Leaf, 67, right, both wearing protective masks, line up outside Gelson’s Market in Manhattan Beach early on Wednesday, March 18, 2020.   (Christina House/Los Angeles Times)

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Roberta Tabor, 66, of Hermosa Beach, has her ID checked by store director Dennis Sullivan at Gelson’s Market in Manhattan Beach on Wednesday. The store is doing a “seniors shopping hour” where seniors 65+ can go grocery shopping before anybody else.   (Christina House/Los Angeles Times)

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Seniors shop at Gelson’s Market in Manhattan Beach on Wednesday. The store is doing a “seniors shopping hour” where seniors can go grocery shopping before the store opens to the general public.   (Christina House/Los Angeles Times)

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Dr. Mark V. Morocco oversees testing at UCLA Medical Center where people can drive up and get tested if they have the symptoms. Morocco listens to a female patient’s lungs through the car window.   (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

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HOPICS outreach worker Ralph Gomez tosses a clipboard for a signature to homeless client Davis Soto, right, taking care to stay at least six feet away during outreach in Los Angeles.  (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

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Medical personnel screen patients outside the emergency room at Loma Linda University Health during the coronavirus pandemic.  (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

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A nurse takes the vital signs of a woman in a medical tent outside the hospital on Catalina.  (Francine Orr/Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

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An employee of the Trader Joe’s store in Monrovia tells customers waiting in line that it would open doors to everyone at 9 a.m., not just seniors, who arrived believing doors would open earlier to older residents, as some of the people were told by employees and it was reported. Some grocery outlets were offering special morning hours of shopping to accommodate older residents.   (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)

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Kevin Ezeh, protected with face mask and gloves, addresses the Los Angeles City Council meeting standing under a tent erected outside City Hall. A television livestreamed video of the meeting and the public offered comments remotely.   (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

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Orange County Undersheriff Bob Peterson listens during a board of supervisors discussion on combating the coronavirus in Santa Ana.  (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

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Dr. Mark V. Morocco oversees the testing at UCLA Medical Center. Testing for Covid-19 is going on at UCLA Medical Center, where people can drive up and get tested if they have the symptoms.   (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

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A large tent is installed for public attendance at Tuesday’s Los Angeles City Council meeting. The public was not allowed in the council chamber.  (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

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Shoppers queue up ahead of the Los Feliz Costco opening for business on Tuesday, March 17, 2020 in Los Angeles.  (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)

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Muhammad Faruq, an Uber driver, picks his ride Sotero Reyes, left, and Cristian Eguia, visitors from Houston, all in protective masks, from downtown Los Angeles.   (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

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Volunteer Rachel Figueroa, serves a free lunch to go to Destiny Mendez, with her mother, Estefany, at the Dream Center in Los Angeles. LAUSD students can get free breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Dream Center, Monday through Friday.  (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

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Emma Bradley, left, and her husband, Samuel Bradley, of Palmdale are walking up the ramp to catch the Metrolink in Union Sation in Los Angeles.  (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

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Medical personnel surround a car that is going through a coronavirus drive-thru test clinic at the San Mateo County Event Center. Drive-thru test clinics for COVID-19 are popping up across the country as more tests become available.   (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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From left, Josh Akamine, of Oahu, Hawaii; Madison Shine of Oahu; Matthew Valencia of Los Altos and Dani Ikeda visit L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles.  (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

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Normally bustling Grand Central Market in downtown L.A. is open only for take out.  (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

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L.A. has banned restaurants from offering seating at places such as Grand Central Market.  (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

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Carlos Perez, a worker at Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles sits in the empty restaurant.  (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

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A line at the Martin B. Retting gun store in Culver City on Sunday extends out the door and around the corner in 2020.  (Francine Orr / The Times)

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A guest wears a mask in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland on Thursday.   (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Students hug as they are let out of school at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 13, 2020. The school has 2,623 students who live in 94 different zip codes, some of whom travel upwards of 30 miles to school on 24 different school bus routes. 221 school staff live in 88 zip codes. Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner announced that schools will be closed due to the coronavirus. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)  (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)

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Blake Anderson, left, a freshman, walks with his father Oree Anderson, as school is let out at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles. LAUSD announced that schools will be closed due to the Coronavirus.   (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)

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Students leave John C. Fremont High School in Los Angeles at the end of the school day on Friday, Mar. 13, 2020. LAUSD announced it will shut down beginning Monday.  (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times )

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Alexandria Casserly crosses the street while looking for toilet paper in downtown Los Angeles.   (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)

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A crew member stands on the stern of a cruise ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles.  (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

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Two children look at movie posters in the lobby of the Arclight theater Thursday in Manhattan Beach.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Disneyland guests wearing ponchos pass the Marketplace inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on Thursday. Disneyland and California Adventure will temporarily close in response to the coronavirus pandemic.   (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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People shop at the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance.  (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

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Disneyland guests take photos in front of the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Airline workers take precautions at Tom Bradley International Terminal in Los Angeles on Thursday.   (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

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An airport worker cleans a railing at Tom Bradley International Terminal.   (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

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Two people arrive at Knott’s Berry Farm on Thursday in Buena Park.   (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Cab drivers wait for riders at the Long Beach Airport.  (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

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The Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance.  (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

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A woman claims her luggage at he Long Beach Airport.  (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

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The Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance.  (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

I wasn’t the only one with questions. Even medical professionals and agencies on the front line of the epidemic are grappling with how to respond, reluctant to pull back and leave patients, clients and colleagues in the lurch.

My dentist, David Kitada, who is in his mid-60s and still working for now, is one of them. But he told me he’s taking extra precautions and only seeing patients who need procedures completed or who have acute problems. He shared recommended protocols from a colleague that included postponing treatment of patients 65 and older.

David Aftergood, a 68-year-old Beverly Hills endocrinologist, said he’s still on the job too, but exercising as much caution as possible and seeing a limited number of patients.

“I look at myself and don’t want to tempt fate, but I feel like I’m a relatively healthy and kind of a young 68,” said Aftergood, who told me he considered the governor’s call for seniors to stay home a recommendation rather than an edict.

Santa Clarita geriatrician Gene Dorio, 68, has closed his office, and he and his staff will be doctoring by phone with non-emergency patients.

But Dorio said he will still make the occasional house call if patients are severely ill, and he sent a letter to Newsom explaining his reasoning and asking for special dispensation.

After explaining that he was in excellent health, he got to the heart of the matter.

“My medical practice is mainly house calls, serving those seniors and disabled who cannot leave their homes. Some of them live in chronic pain or have multiple medical problems. They cannot get to a doctor’s office, and haven’t been able to go for years.

“Other doctors,” Dorio noted, “do not do house calls, and the health and welfare of my patients will be in jeopardy. Therefore, I request an exemption to your recent directive to self-isolate.”

Dorio, president of the L.A. County Commission for Older Adults, had not heard back from the governor’s office as of Tuesday afternoon.

A psychologist named Jamie, who asked that I not use her last name, emailed me about her own desire to keep working despite her age.

When I called her, Jamie said her agency’s staff is seeing a heightened level of anxiety among clients, some of whom are homeless. She didn’t feel right about not serving their needs. She stayed home Monday but by Tuesday had set up a video conferencing program so she could work from home and still supervise frontline staff.

“It’s hard enough being an older adult in this country without all of a sudden feeling stigmatized,” Jamie said.

Dr. Jon Sherin, director of the L.A. County Department of Mental Health, told me he has quite a few frontline employees who are 65 and older. He said he is trying to find ways for them to stay on the job but not in contact with others, even though some have argued that they’re in perfectly good health.

“It’s all about risk factors,” Sherin said. “I think we’re sophisticated enough to say that if you’re over 65 and in great health, OK ... but by definition you’re at risk, and I’m suggesting that they don’t come in, and stay at home where there are things they can do whether it’s service-related or clinical.”

His fear, Sherin said, is that many of the department’s clients — especially those who are homeless — are vulnerable and pose higher health risks, and he’s trying to avoid a significant spread of the coronavirus through both staff and patient populations.

Better to reduce risk now than regret not doing so later, Sherin said, adding that he’s already trying to plan ahead for the possibility of having fewer employees available to handle a mental health crisis that was already overwhelming before the coronavirus threat.

“This is serious and there could be a lot of tragedy, but we’ve got to figure out a way to get through it,” Sherin said, “and build better systems for future stresses.”

On Monday and Tuesday, I checked with two senior centers that are trying their best to cope with high anxiety among the populations that rely on them for essential services like meal programs.

David MacDonald of the Santa Clarita Senior Center said the switch has been made from in-house meals to drive-through pickups, and 130 seniors took advantage of the new program on Monday.

His staff was also stepping up phone contact with clients to make sure they’re OK.

“Isolation can be a dangerous thing,” said MacDonald, citing depression and fear of access to needed resources as potential issues. “We want to keep in touch with our seniors.”

Akila Gibbs, director of the Pasadena Senior Center, said classes have been canceled and the fitness center closed, but limited services were still being offered to people who have no one to look after them.

Gibbs said the combination of lost revenue from canceled classes and a hit on the center’s investment fund because of the stock market collapse will create big financial challenges, and said she and her staff are adapting to service recommendations from doctors and public agencies that change daily.

“We’re going to try to get food to” those who have stopped coming to the center, Gibbs said, “and we’re calling 2,000 people at home to find out how they’re doing.”

One of the scariest things about the coronavirus is that it’s invisible. We don’t know who, or what, is virus-free, and we don’t know whether we’ve only just begun to see the worst of the hell it could wreak.

But we all do have a responsibility, to ourselves and each other, to limit the spread.

I may go ahead and take that walk on the beach or hike in the hills, but as much as possible, I’m going to avoid face-to-face human contact and play it safe.

And hope we soon turn the corner.