Remote areas desperate to protect themselves from virus carriers

People in my small mountain town, population 2500 are freaking out about this too. We took a walk yesterday and there were still quite a few visitors milling around despite the states stay at home order. People are griping on FB that the flatlanders are coming up and using up “our resources” . I had someone call asking about a 3 month stay which I am considering, at my weekly rate no further discounts so will see if they put their money where there mouth is. I would require them to pay in advance, it would be about 13K

RR

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I’m hearing a mix. Where people take it seriously they want folks to stay away. Where they are listening to Trump and F News they are saying “we need you to come spend money.” (heard from rural Oregon)

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That is why our government had every hotel, b&b, Privat rental closed, and ordered all tourist to leave the country.

They do not want the tourists to use up local resources.

While it hurts me to say so, Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, was really impressive during her press conference delivery yesterday about this. She stood head and shoulders above our very own Orange Boris, incoherently bumbling his way through his own press conf.

Here in the UK, I think the combination of schools closing suddenly on Friday, people took flight to their second homes from urban centres, and have brought their entitled sensibilities with them, thus endangering local people and service systems/resources.

After driving around Deal yesterday, and seeing the number of people not distancing safely, I am really glad we no longer live there.

Mr Joan worked today. A colleague living in London cycled to Regents Park yesterday but turned back when he saw the crowds. He is also concerned about food supplies in the Capital and feeding his young family.

This weekend Snowdonia has had more visitors than ever before and Sunday NIGHT I get the e-mail below from our local authority.

A letter to accommodation owners

Dear Owner,

Coronovirus Covid-19

As you are aware, we are living in unprecedented times due to Coronovirus Covid-19. Clear guidelines have been issued by the Welsh and UK Governments that people should adhere to social-distancing, self-isolation and only undertake essential journeys.

I fully appreciate the contribution of the tourism sector to Gwynedd, the economic contribution of over ÂŁ1 billion every year locally and the fact that you employ over 16,000 people, but we are in the midst of an world-wide emergency.

Despite the advice from our Governments; the numbers of visitors to Gwynedd over the last few days has been extremely worrying and disappointing. I therefore urge you to close your park / campsite / accommodation immediately so that we can stop the spread of the virus, and limit the impact of visitors on our health and care services locally which are already under considerable pressure.

As was announced on Friday, 20 March 2020, arrangements to support the hospitality industry are in the process of being developed by our Governments and the Council is also prioritising the work of providing advice and support to businesses.

In line with our Governments’ guidelines, I urge you to close immediately for the sake of all the people of Gwynedd and our health and care services - so that we can focus on the exceptional situation that we are facing and reduce the risk for all of us. By encouraging your customers to stay at their main home address, you will be helping to protect them, the people of Gwynedd as well as our vital health and care services.

If you have already acted upon the national guidance to close your park / campsite / accommodation, or if you are in the process of doing so this weekend, I and extremely grateful to you for taking this responsible action.

My sincerest thoughts are with you at this difficult and challenging time, and Gwynedd Council will do its very best to support you.

Yours Sincerely,

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She was amazing @Joan

The government should have thought of this and closed down access to tourist areas in Devon, Cornwall, Wales, Scotland etc once they closed the schools.

For God’s sake there is only one main road into Cornwall…how difficult would it have been to do this and tell hotels, B&B and Airbnb that they can’t open for business.

Good for the Welsh government in doing this @HumptyDumpty but they shouldn’t have to ask, the government should be making it mandatory.

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I also see on FB that the locals are specifically asking why STR’s are being rented. People are scared , I am glad my property has a big fence and gates.
Who knows what will happen when people start getting hungry and they are broke. Our little town has a lot of people living on the edge, they rely on tourists and STR’s to keep the shops open and jobs secure.

RR

How very wise of your Council. Unfortunately Deal has many second home owners, usually Londoners with the disparaging title of DFL’s, i.e. Down from London, who have fled the Capital. I hear from friends that they have clearly brought the virus with them as the local hospital is suddenly overwhelmed.

Clarification from the government at last.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ETvp2fcXYAMxjLE?format=jpg

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In our case, first our city, and then our state government is only allowing “necessary travel” and requires anyone coming from outside Alaska or outside a community to go into 14 day quarantine. Fire dept medics meet every airplane & ferry to take temperatures. If they have fever they are triaged.

We’ve had many folks returning home, especially college students whose campuses closed, and “snowbirds” with winter homes in AZ & CA, and all air traffic to our region goes through SEA.

We are not connected to the continental road system. We are landlocked by a large transboundary river to the south where a 2 mile wide glacier comes down to the edge of the river, and to the north by 35 miles of mile high granite fjord walls.

You have to fly or take a ferry to get here. Our disaster and medical community are as prepared as they can be. Schools closed over a week ago, and all but essential businesses are closed, with strict separation rules. We are trying to keep that curve low.

Nevertheless, COVID-19 has arrived here, 1 case yesterday from a local resident who came home a week ago, and apparently self quarantined when he arrived.

My next booking is for May 17. I expect future cancellations as Air makes them available. This is not a short term infection, and I expect travel restrictions and travel fears to continue through my entire summer season. I’m not ready to travel much until there’s a vaccine, and I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling that way.

Thanks for the update. UK has banned people travelling to second homes, hotels, B&B and self-catering to try and help halt the spread of the virus from those in high risk areas trying to escape to low risk areas.

I know Trump announced tests for Corona virus were going to be free but treatment still needed to be paid for. Is that the case where you are @NordlingHouse (not sure if individual states can override this).

If so I feel for those unable to afford treatment and that it might lead to the virus spreading more quickly in poorer areas.

I’ve never been a fan of her, for a variety of reasons, but listening to her speech on the radio the other day it did strike me that she came over a lot better than the oaf in Number 10. The cynical part of me thinks that her usual speech writer must be self isolating :wink:

This is Janey Godleys interpretation of it:

https://twitter.com/JaneyGodley/status/1241792642033295360

Sorry, no sub titles.

JF

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I suspect that Dominic Cummings ran his toe up Boris’ backside before yesterday’s briefing.

@JohnF my SNP friends want another independence election so they can rejoin the EU. They think Sturgeon is stalling.

I wonder if the Economic Union will still exist after this crisis.

It should. The knee jerk reaction is to become more nationalist and xenophobic. But climate change and viruses don’t care about borders and nationality. We will learn the hard way (again) that cooperation is better than competition in this arena.

No, the EU should be completely dismantled.
Cooperation is good, but a cooperation based on a single goal of maximizing trade, profit and increasing economic growth is wrong.

This virus shows exactly where the big flaw is in the EU. Now when decisions have to be made about health and safety, they go completely silent. They have no clue on how to handle the situation.

Same goes for the strong figures in the EU, Merkel is completely absent, she doesn’t know what to say now the big industry lobbies have all backed out.
It is not even one Germany anymore, but every German state on its own.

[Edit]
I am not against cooperation.
But I think the current EU in it current form is bad, just as bad as Trump. And it cannot be improved.

It should be dismantled and rebuild from the ground up in a democratic way.

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Not stalling as such, the biggest issue is will she still be in charge shortly. If you a quick search in respect of the Alex Salmond trial recently, it’s becoming obvious that it was politically motivated and that wee Nicola, and her closest advisers, had their grubby fingerprints all over the whole affair.

JF

I am in the Catskill Mountains north of NYC. This has been an issue swirling around us for the entire three weeks we have been here. County government has tried to issue executive orders that either second home owners not be allowed in their homes or that all Airbnbs be closed. Our governor, Andrew Cuomo, has overturned any efforts that are not strictly advisory. Counties have no authority to restrict travel or deny home owners their property rights and, personally, I think Cuomo has always wanted anyone to leave the city who can leave the city. Cuomo also announced that 20% of ventilators in all state hospitals across the Upstate counties, private and public, are to be commandeered for New York City for the apex. Those states will get their ventilators back PLUS extras, should they need them. However, as you can imagine it has started a firestorm of resentment and outright hate. The Upstate hospitals are not expected to see an apex for at least a month. In fact, numbers upstate have been fairly flat despite the influx.

I haven’t bothered to post on the forum about what is happening in the Catskills, but it is a lot. I know of one Airbnb host who accepted a two month booking from a family in New Orleans and a neighbor knocked on the door and told them they were not wanted. The guests were so freaked out they left. The host had to get a cease and desist sent to the neighbor.

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