||| from Brendan Cowan, Department of Emergency Management |||
Effective September 10, San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James has signed Order No. 2020-9, lifting the 50%
capacity restrictions on transient lodging. Operating at 100% capacity is allowed immediately. This order also immediately lifts the closure of all public playgrounds and playground equipment.
Dr. James explains, “Island residents and visitors have done an outstanding job this summer of limiting COVID
transmission in our community. I know that the limits on lodging and other restrictions placed on our local businesses
have had enormous economic impacts for many islanders, but I firmly believe that our collective actions have helped to
keep the islands safe and healthy.”
In addition to lifting limits on lodging capacity, the new order also lowers the turnaround time between bookings from
24 hours to six hours, with a requirement that no cleaning happen less than two hours after guest departure, and that room
windows are open for ventilation for a minimum of six hours between guest stays.
San Juan County Health & Community Services Director Mark Tompkins expresses his gratitude to the islands. “This has
been an extremely difficult time for so many, but by covering our faces and being thoughtful about our interactions with
those outside our household, the islands have done an incredible job of staying safe. I want to thank the entire
community, and also express sincere appreciation to our business owners and employees who have sacrificed so much.”
However, Dr. James highlights the need for ongoing caution, “We’re past Labor Day, and thanks to our collective efforts,
the impacts of our peak tourist season have been minimal. But we must remember that our biggest risk is ourselves.
Socializing indoors with family and friends or islanders traveling and visiting others have been the source of nearly all our
cases. We need to stay cautious and vigilant, especially if we want our schools to begin operating in-person. If we cover
our faces, limit our interactions, and continue washing our hands, we can continue to effectively seal the islands off from
widespread community transmission.”
As with all public health orders issued to help prevent the spread of COVID, they are flexible depending on the situation,
and can be reinstated in the event of increased case activity.
**If you are reading theOrcasonian for free, thank your fellow islanders. If you would like to support theOrcasonian CLICK HERE to set your modestly-priced, voluntary subscription. Otherwise, no worries; we’re happy to share with you.**
About time. Maybe Dr. James was watching my and others’ comments in Michael’s post advocating that tourism has not been the cause of the virus in the islands and that all tourism restrictions should be lifted immediately to avoid further devastation of the islands’ economy. Local businesses have done a great job protecting the community. They deserve everyone’s support and gratitude instead of the insults and harassment they have received since the start of the pandemic.
Either that, or he considered the data and science,
Peg Manning, I’ll go with the former. The data and science in the field never supported the mandates limiting tourism to that degree.
I’d like to see one significant example where opening up a city/state/country did not (after a period of time) lead to an uptick in Covid-19. There may well be a few instances, but in the vast majority problems ensued. As for the 50% restriction on accommodations, where the heck did all those people stay who filled the ferries every weekend (and most weekdays)? I don’t believe for a second it was islanders hitting Costco or similarly non-essential travel filling up the ferries^. I agree, the businesses have done a pretty good job policing their patrons, but the fact that most were pretty well packed with visitors meant that quite a number of islanders avoided Eastsound literally like the plague. If we have anyone to thank its Dr. James and those businesses who disabused the “scofflaws” by showing them the door. It certainly was not the leadership in our County who paid lip service to enforcement.
Sharon, by the way, I sure would like to know your qualifications which seem, in your opinion at least, to trump James’.
^ Yes, I know Winter Ferry Schedule … but the County knew this when they opened up (well beyond 50%) and the chaos which ensued was entirely predictable.
I am a local. Since the middle of June I have made a number of ferry trips as have our visiting family. Not once have we been on a ferry that was filled to capacity. I always enjoy catching up with island friends while waiting in line….plenty of us islanders are trekking to the mainland. I head into Eastsound 3 or 4 times a week….want to do what I can to support our hurting local businesses…..I never fail to run into friends and neighbors when I’m in town. I’ve been to the lake with my grandkids several times this summer even on the most crowded holiday weekends (never as crowded as previous years) people were wearing masks and social distancing. I am so saddened by the anti tourism posts that are filled with fear. They describe a picture of Orcas this summer that just doesn’t fit with what I have witnessed. I feel that mixing how we as a community address COVID issues with concerns, by some, of over tourism only muddies both of the issues. We all need to be respectful of COVID and of each other.
And our Island kids still cannot go back to school!!!
Why are we not prioritizing the safety of returning to in-person school for our island kids? This doesn’t not seem right to me – no school should mean no or at least low tourism. We locals have stayed at home all summer, our kids have not been able to enjoy their Island home because the island was teaming with tourists. Our family for one have followed the rules religiously In the hope that when the tourist season closes there would be a better chance that kids could go to school, but no, it seems tourism always comes first. I’m disgusted!
As Michael Riordan has pointed out, I and most of my over-60 friends have simply avoided Eastsound, other than to buy groceries and visit the post office, and our weekly take-out food to support our local businesses. I would agree that those of us who live here full time have done a great job keeping the virus under control vis-a-vis the tourists, including our local mask-mandating businesses. I would also agree with Anji and others that we, as a county, need to prioritize our children/grandchildren and schools over tourist density, and also that we need to re-think the future role of vacation rentals and tourism component to our local economy.
Anji and I bought our house in 1998 and moved here full time in 2006. We also own a rental property, which we rent to our business and to her son and granddaughter. Sharon, I’m sure a number of this site’s viewers are curious what your role is here; you referred in a post a month or so ago to SJC as “your county” so it appears you don’t actually live here. So why do you continue to express such strong opinions about our local issues on our local news site? Do you own a rental property here?
There would have been substantially fewer Covid-19 cases in the County if we had not had the summer surge of tourists and other visitors. And that would have made it easier to open the schools on schedule. Perhaps that will happen as we get into the fall season and things begin to return to “normal” again.
Michael Riordan! Why keep perpetuating that lie? Tourists have not been the cause of cases in the islands.
“But we must remember that our biggest risk is ourselves. Socializing indoors with family and friends or islanders traveling and visiting others have been the source of nearly all our cases.” – Dr. James
“It has been said before, but it is so important that it needs to be highlighted again: The greatest risk the islands are facing right now is close social contact between islanders and friends and family from outside of their household.” – SJC media releases
Your blame has been misplaced from the start and continues unabated despite clear evidence to the contrary. You can attack tourism for personal reasons if you want, but stop blaming tourism as a cause of cases in the islands. It becomes a lie when you know better.
I think we can all agree that the COVID-19 Pandemic has had an adverse impact on tourism and the global (not just the San Juan Island County) economy.
Yet, despite economic hardship, the majority of countries have adopted protocols for travel to protect their citizens. For example, Canada has closed its borders to all non-essential travel. The residents of Point Roberts have literally become prisoners within their community because they are not allowed to cross the border to shop, travel to the mainland or obtain other services they accessed routinely in B.C. For the record, they have not had one single case of COVID-19 in the Point Roberts community. It appears that isolation has its benefits. It will be interesting to see if those statistics change now that they have a ferry to transport them to Blaine, Washington.
Sharon, you have very strong personal opinions. And I respect your right to hold them. But you are neglecting to acknowledge that our island community lacks access to emergency health services that are routinely available on the mainland. If a vulnerable island resident contracts COVID-19 and requires immediate emergency medical care, they must be flown by helicopter to a mainland hospital. Those helicopter rides aren’t cheap. And, some medical insurance companies refuse to pay for transporting individuals by helicopter. Try to remember that we are a diverse community. Not everyone on the island is wealthy.
Hence, the public call for caution regarding tourism. In fact, our elected officials made it exceptionally easy for tourists to access the islands. The Governor stepped in and tightened requirements for moving forward to Phase 3. There are residents that believe he should have taken more precautions.
For example, the state of Hawaii implemented a two week quarantine for tourists. As of September 1st, a tourist can avoid quarantine if they provide a recent negative COVID-19 test result to authorities. Violators have been fined and jailed. Yet, we have commenters on this site who are accusing other island residents of being overly cautious when they ask our county government to be careful about reopening our islands to visitors. Yes, we ask them to wear masks and not to enter our businesses if they are feeling ill. But COVID-19 is most contagious during the two days before a person exhibits symptoms.
Regrettably, it was a traveler to China who brought COVID-19 back to our state. I’m not blaming the individual for contracting the virus. He didn’t know he had the virus. But the disease is still spreading unfettered across our nation and the world. People travel for business and for pleasure. So, why is it unreasonable for islanders to ask our government to err on the side of caution in order to protect vulnerable residents?
In the article above, Dr. James reminds readers that all public health orders can be reinstated if there is an increase in COVID-19 activity. In fact, this is already happening in some western nations who thought they had defeated the virus through stay at home orders and lengthy business closures.
For comparison’s sake, let’s take a quick look at the Saint Lucia (another island community) protocols for tourist travel. Like Orcas, Saint Lucia is heavily dependent upon tourism to support its economy.
Saint Lucia Protocols
• All arriving passengers must have a negative result from a PCR test done no more than 7 days prior to arrival in Saint Lucia
• All arriving passengers must adhere to all protocols relevant to airport
• All arriving passengers will be screened, this will include temperature checks
• All symptomatic passengers will be immediately isolated and tested. If test result is positive for COVID-19 the passenger will be transferred to the Respiratory Hospital for treatment and care at their cost.
• Other passengers will be transferred by certified taxi to approved COVID-19 accommodation or to a government quarantine facility
• Hotel guests travelling from outside the designated travel bubble are required to remain on property for the duration of their stay except to transfer to another Covid-19 certified property to continue their stay, or to participate in water-based excursions arranged by the hotel
Tourism activities should respect the rights of the men, women and children who live and work on the Island. I’ve owned businesses. I understand the hardship that an economic downturn creates. I was forced to close one of my businesses in 2009. But I understood that I was taking a risk when I decided to open that business. Entrepreneurs are risk takers. We also have the ability to bounce back from setbacks.
That said, the COVID-19 Pandemic has created an environment in which a number of island residents are asking if we have become overly dependent on tourism. While some commenters may disagree, it’s an issue that deserves to be discussed if we truly desire to create a stable, diverse economy that allows island families to survive unforeseen future events like COVID-19. Community forums often create positive outcomes for all participants.
Change can be frightening. But change is often a catalyst that improves the quality of our lives in ways that we have yet to appreciate. Instead of berating or criticizing one another, perhaps we can create a framework that encourages community discussion and allows residents to build a stronger, more diverse economy for all islanders.
Regardless of where one stands on the issue of tourism, the residents of the islands have a right to be healthy and safe within their communities. So far, we’ve dodged the bullet.
Here’s your math lesson for today, “Sharon”:
0.1% infectiousness x 1000 visitors/day x 100 days = 100 infectious visitors this summer. At least.
Got it yet? As Bill Clinton famously said, “It’s just arithmetic!”
That’s wonderful, Michael, but what’s your point? Those 100 infectious evil visitors did next to nothing to contribute to the case count. So how in the world can you still sit here, today, and say that the “surge” of visitors are responsible for “substantial” case counts in the islands, schools not being able to open, etc? Please… I really want to hear this one. Show me the data to support your claims.
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/
I 90% follow only the venerable Center for Infectious Disease, Dr. Michael Osterholm, at U of Minn for SARS-CoV-2, especially the weekly podcast. People might find the focus helpful while staying away from the polarized mainstream media for science data. They are clipped and baited for maximum viewing.
We are in a very difficult time of widespread cognitive dissonance. 320m Americans cannot really invent our own science on the media-fly. That said, there will always be a gap of proof that research cannot fill—neither for the scientist nor for the layperson. We may not be anywhere near knowing what is needed to live with SARS-CoV-2, especially with divergent views on daily activities.
It is our responsibility to try to sniff out the “dismantled” science that disrupts our discourse in these theoretical times. Thank you.
There you go again, “Sharon,” trying to put words in my mouth. I never said the 100 visitors were “evil” only that they were probably infectious, which I’m pleased to see you are beginning to accept. Several of them, in fact, were visitors in the homes of islanders, which meant they spent long, extended times in the presence of their hosts and had plenty of time to infect them. It’s viral load x exposure time that counts.
And 100 infectious visitors is only a lower limit, which brings me to your second COVID math lesson:
Q: From studies of coronavirus antigens in Western WA citizens in April and May, the CDC determined in June that 1.1% of them had been infected. Assuming that level of contagiousness in island visitors, how many infected visitors did we likely experience over the summer?
A. As in math lesson 1, we simply replace 0.1% by 1.1% and get:
1.1% infectiousness x 1000 visitors/day x 100 days = 1100 infectious visitors this summer. At most.
But this is just an upper limit, and the real number is probably well below it because many such visitors would no longer be contagious. So the real number must be somewhere between 100 and 1100. My own best estimate is 200 to 500, while 100 to 200 is a conservative estimate.
Thank you, Paige. I agree wholeheartedly that we all need to be careful when researching COVID-19 data.
Last March, Dr. Osterholm recommended that people from any region with a major COVID-19 outbreak (Western Washington is just one example) should avoid traveling to areas that do not have adequate health care systems in place to treat them if they become ill. He reminds travelers that they should be asking themselves this question before packing, “If I’m away from home and I get sick, do I want to be hospitalized…” in that location?
We don’t have a hospital on Orcas Island. So, how do we transport tourists or any other visitors to mainland hospitals, if we were unlucky enough to experience a super spreader event? Charter a ferry? Call Navy Whidbey?
On August 11th, in an article published by Lee Moran in the Huffington Post, Dr. Osterholm urged the United States to immediately implement a new six week lock down to slow down a new COVID-19 surge that he predicts will take place after schools re-open across the nation this month.
“We believe the choice is clear,” Osterholm and Kashkari wrote. “We can continue to allow the coronavirus to spread rapidly throughout the country or we can commit to a more restrictive lockdown, state by state, for up to six weeks to crush the spread of the virus to less than one new case per 100,000 people per day.”
Yes, Osterholm acknowledged that this will cause more financial hardship for businesses and working families. But he asserts that a six week lock down now could prevent a deeper economic downturn later. The question is – is anyone listening?
It’s important to remember that COVID-19 is not a partisan political issue. It’s a pressing health issue with severe consequences for thousands of infected individuals. This disease is no respecter of class, age, wealth, political affiliation or personal opinion. And if we don’t take action to protect ourselves, it will continue to infect as many people as it can before it burns itself out. We should keep this in mind when we find ourselves experiencing COVID-19 fatigue and rashly decide to take a risk we shouldn’t be taking. Feelings of self-righteousness, an overwhelming sense of helplessness and frustration about our plight is the real foe, not the members of our community who are expressing legitimate concerns about our future health and well-being.
Michael Riordan, glad to see you finally admit that tourism was never the problem and that family and friends visiting locals caused the islands’ cases. We are much better served analyzing field data not your questionable guestimations and riveting, irrelevant math lessons.
Without wanting to participate in the vitriol which seems to have become a feature of posting opinions here, I would like to observe that no one has proven a causal relationship between any behavior (whether mask wearing, respecting social distancing, or limiting tourism) and what seems to be the current “flattening of the curve” in San Juan County. People are just selecting a preferred hypothesis (For example – “Largely because of mask-wearing” . . .. [fill in the blank] has happened .) and asserting their conclusion is supported by the data. Actually, not enough time has elapsed nor is there enough data comparing like-to-like quarantines to prove any associations beyond statistical non significance.
Moreover, tourism seems to be a favorite whipping boy for many participants in these discussions. Where is the data to support the many assertions castigating tourists for spreading the virus? It does not yet exist. I agree that many people, Michael among a host of others, owe apologies to the tourists.
All of these discussions have been hijacked by confirmation bias, fear, and demonizing tourists. The anti-tourist basher should at least admit their not-so-well hidden agendas. For a more in-depth discussion of the sloppy statistics prevalent in current pandemic analysis, see the excellent article in todays’s Financial Times about the misuses of statistics in analysis of pandemic correlations.
There’s tourism and there’s over-tourism. We have been experiencing over-tourism and attendent negative impacts on island residents.
Impacts include stresses on the ferry system, increasing numbers of vacation rentals affecting loss of affordable housing and increased
real estate speculation, stressing emergency medical care by visitors who are not paying for emergency services, and an erosion of
sense of community. We need a balance between tourism and maintaining our community as residents.
Agreed, Paula, we do not have enough data regarding the potential effects of tourism on the future health of islanders, because we are only six months into this Pandemic.
Regarding your observation that tourism seems to be a favorite whipping boy for a percentage of commenters. As of September 8, 2020, the CDC posted a notice that travel is risky behavior for the traveler as well as the communities the travelers go to during their travels.
I can be fact checked at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-during-covid19.html
I assert the following, without confirmation bias, fear or pre-determined prejudice against tourists: travel can increase a person’s chances of contracting and spreading COVID-19. Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.
My assertion is based on my own research and the following travel advisory from the CDC to travelers:
“You can get COVID-19 during your travels. You may feel well and not have any symptoms, but you can still spread COVID-19 to others. You and your travel companions (including children) may spread COVID-19 to other people including your family, friends, and community for 14 days after you were exposed to the virus.”
I’m not demonizing tourists, visiting family members or friends who live off island. Tourists are welcome to visit, as long as the community can be assured that it is safe to host visitors to a small island community with very limited health care services. Right now – everyone is assuming that it is safe. They assume, right or wrong, that the last three months of tourist activity has proven that no one on the island is going to contract COVID-19 from a visitor. I sincerely hope that they are right. Only time will tell. We currently don’t have enough data to prove that assumption.
I’m observing increased hostility by commenters against other community residents who publicly ask: is now is the time to open up the island to 100% occupancy? They already have the answer – and they are happy to beat it into our skulls with a baseball bat, if that act would force us to give up our concerns about future outbreaks.
As Paula noted. We don’t have enough data about this virus to make assumptions about the way it will behave in the future. Our lauded media experts change their professional opinions routinely, because they don’t have adequate information about COVID-19. There is no predictability.
That said, a reasonable person should be able to ask, even if it rankles other commenters, is it too soon to determine if it is actually safe to open the islands to visitors from off island?
Right now, the only thing we can be certain of is that when commenters hold strong opinions, they are less likely to change that opinion when they are given persuasive, factual information. In fact, they will seek and locate data that support their individual beliefs and opinions and reject other data, regardless of its validity. (Confirmation bias) Hence, the vitriolic attacks against others posted in the comment section. It’s an emotional response. Not an informed response.
In the opaque world of the psychology of opinions, we can actually become more confident in our opinions when they seem to go against the majority view.
They didn’t teach me that at Harvard. I discovered that fact while working with constituents in the legislature.
“Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics” – Desraeli
Yep,