— from Russel Barsh for KWIAT —
Last weekend Indian Island had over fifty visitors from the mainland, only a handful had masks, and they seemed completely clueless. That put my (masked) researchers and volunteers at risk. I am altogether happy to be welcoming and positive with visitors, but they sometimes need to be told when their behavior threatens the health and the lives of others. I would like to see more emphasis on “responsibility” and on “safety,” which are stressed in the County’s public-health notices, and on the signs we just had printed for Indian Island.
Nearly all Orcas residents visiting Indian Island have been wearing masks. The problem is coming from people that already stretched the rules by coming here at all, after Washington State Ferries and San Juan County prohibited recreational travel as a measure to protect islanders’ heath, and prevent San Juan County from becoming a new hot spot, which an influx of tourists can do at this stage of the pandemic.
To deal with this reality, we have to begin saying “No, you are not welcome if you come from another part of the state and think you can do whatever you want once you get here.” That is, be more firm and less nice.
Kwiaht designed and printed “yard signs” for Indian Island earlier this week, at the request of our staff and our volunteers, with messages about masks, and restrictions on recreational travel — and each version stresses the phrase “Respect others’ health and safety!” We hope we’ll see some changes in visitors’ behavior the next minus-tide cycle!
Well done. Thank you.
Thank you!
Thank you Russel.
Maybe you should have told them to catch the next ferry back to the mainland.
With all due respect – why would anyone be expected to wear a mask when visiting an open-air national monument? As long as 6ft social distancing is maintained, CDC guidelines don’t call for masks in outdoor environments.
Jack James- from what I witnessed, there was no attempt to maintain appropriate social distancing guidelines. Folks who think this is a good time to vacation and violate the protocols are likely the very ones who have not been maintaining safe practices all along. Why would we expect them to behave appropriately when they are visiting illegally?
1/ @Hillary Well… it’s a complicated issue. While it’s unfortunate that any individual (resident or otherwise) would not practice appropriate distancing during this time, I find it equally unfortunate that this article has a tone distaste towards “others” and “non-resident illegals”.
As I read order 2020-1 (Issued by the San Juan County Health Officer) while it is true that rental properties have been required to close, the statement made that “San Juan County prohibited recreational travel” isn’t quite accurate and is perhaps brooding some intolerance towards non-residents. The SJC order isn’t enforcing restricted travel on ferries – it’s simply requiring signs to remind citizens of the Governors 20-25 “Stay Home” order unless conducting “essential activities”. Per the governors proclamation “essential activities” include “Engaging in outdoor exercise activities, such as walking, hiking, running or biking, but only if appropriate social distancing practices are used.”
(cont)
2/ There are a whole host of scenarios I could imagine where non-full-time residents might be on orcas right now – well within their legal rights and not violating any order. Perhaps one of them lives in Anacortes and chose to the the state park (or national monument) as a “day-use” outdoor exercise activity?
It’s not the most tolerant position to assume visitors are social-distance violators or somehow doing something “illegal” by being here.
I walk mountain lake almost daily, and since the road re-opened there have been a lot people on the trails again. While there are some clues, I can’t be sure who is a resident vs non-resident I pass – I suspect a fair amount of non-residents – but I can be sure that so far every single one of them has been amazingly respectful in maintaining distance on the trails.
I agree with Jack. . .and personally dislike the righteous tones of a number of islanders who are using this crisis to target tourists as the “other”, which speaks to a hidden agenda. Although I wear a mask outdoors out of courtesy, given the mixed messaging from the CDC and WHO, it seems social distancing is more essential than mask-wearing outside.
Remember the WHO has updated its message to saying the virus is going to be with us for a while, perhaps indefinitely, so the goal now has shifted to “managing” not “eradicating” the virus. You’re not going to keep the virus off the island indefinitely without shutting down the local economy permanently. There are island construction workers going to and fro constantly. Fear-based decision making is never very effective. Let’s remember our positive community spirit should extend to guests as well!
Please don’t let my Masters Degree and close to 30 years of Critical Care Nursing working along side Pulmonologist and Intensivist alike confuse your google search. The key word on masks are “MAY” reduce the risk. Unless your are talking about an N95 mask used in the prevention of transmitting TB. In order to ensure it’s effectiveness you must be fitted for it in a trained setting or it’s worthless. I live in Orcas island and the best thing you can do besides bother those who chose not to wear a mask is please wash your hands. Putting gloves on and wearing them only to proceed to touch everything in contact is only leading to cross contamination. If you are leaving from your car with them on which is germ central, you are putting me at risk for the common cold. You would be surprised what you can grow when swabbing a steering wheel. Their is special way to don PPE to include mask and gloves or they serve no functional purpose. Wash your hands folks and go out and live.
Thanks, John for a dose of reality.
I keep a canister or Clorox wipes in my truck. After any visit to a public venue, I use a wipe to thoroughly clean my hands, then i take off my mask and put it in a ziplock. i then use the wipe to clean the steering wheel, gearshift, door handle, and radio and climate controls.
here’s a video on donning and doffing ppe;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quwzg7Vixsw
Thanks Scott,
I adore the San Juan’s Island chain. I feel privileged to call Orcas my home. I know the vast of us full time or part time Islanders want the best to this “oh so special place”. That being said our local community depends on tourists for its survival!!!! We have multiple statics to compare and contrast. Maybe Switzerland and the like did get it right. I don’t know and really don’t care. The truth is this virus is here to stay. Absolutely protect those most at risk. I would like to think we islanders will help one another to include our business that are suffering. By all means wear a mask if it makes you feel more comfortable but stop the fear mongering and shaming language. It’s not need nor productive. I will reiterate the best thing we can do is wash our hands, use sneeze and cough hygiene and stay home when you feel sick. Well get a vaccine hopefully sometime next year . Till then, turn off the news and go enjoy life.
S
I’m with you, John.
I disagree with the sentiments of those who would greet the ferries with torches and pitchforks.
For the sale of seniors like me, we cannot crush the economic life of our cherished community. Like it or not, our elected representatives and the real estate biz have promoted tourism beyond reasonable limits. there are a lot of our fellow islanders who are dependent on tourism. we cannot turn our backs on them.
when this resolves itself, as human th9ngw
omg, i fatfingered my last comment. darn ipad.
last.sentence should read:
when this crisis resolves itself, as human things tend to do, maybe we will acknowledge the value of peace and quiet on Orcas Island and find a balance between those of us (property taxpayers) who pay 70% of the rent incurred by our bloated county government and the tourism industry we are compelled to subsidize.
until that reconciliation occurs, we need to protect our friends and neighbors.
Scott,
That was a very spot on video that I have to practice daily. I hope many watch it and hear how times hand hygiene ie hand sanitizer or soap and water is said. That itself deserves a large discussion. If you are using CHG or alcohol based products, wet times must followed. A little squirt and a quick smear is really only spreading germs and virus on our hands. Each pathogen has its own wet time. To further explain; C-Diff survives both CHG and alcohol. Hand washing is the only effective way to rid all known and C-Diff pathogens off our hands. It’s also the most sustainable and practical. I just want the fear mongering to stop. Those that disagree, that’s ok too but that doesn’t change scientific facts. If you can’t explain the difference between Airborne or Droplet pathogens then find out. It just may surprise that you’ve been doing things wrong the entire time. Stay heathy my friends and when shopping next, forgo the case of toilet paper and pick up a bar of soap.
our local ace hardware (princeville, kauai) installed an outdoor sink with running water and plentiful soap. how cool is that?
Thanks everyone for all the positive feedback and input. Common sense does prevail when allowed to. I worry about our business…. They are getting squeezed at both ends. The thought of losing the Brown Bear in Eastsound to the Boat House Cider Works when you arrive is not what I want to see happen. I know many owners have reduced revenues and coming up with pure imaginative ways to stay a float by a shoe string. Stop the fear mongering and put yourself in their shoes. Those of us lucky enough to be able to support them, please do. This lockdown will end but the virus is here to stay. Be sensible and be nice…… It’s what makes this such a great community and why the tourists want to come. Be flexible everyone and wash those hands :) See you all on the trails with ladybug.
Well, here’s the rub; some of us have asked for decades that county planners consider encouraging other avenues of revenue besides tourism. When we have crises like this pandemic, and only one “industry,” we have a depression – and the workers lose everything. Long before “crisis” is when we as a community need to think outside the box and look to more sustainable ways to support ourselves and our finite ecosystems – not make an economy based solely on tourism, development, and real estate. That enriches the few at the expense of the many.
In “olden” days there was manufacturing, mail-order businesses and local services, trades and apprenticeships. Clearly, we need to diversify, barter, time-swap, and a lot of other things that put TIME as the top thing of value – not money. We all only have 24 hrs in a day. Valuing our time equally would help us build a new, kinder, more sustainable paradigm with tourism as a facet of a much greater and richer picture – not the end-all-be-all.
Sadie,
Well said. Putting all the eggs in ones basket is never a good idea. I don’t think they even teach shop or masonry in schools anymore. If there is a positive spin on this outbreak is that we really need to be self sustaining as much as possible and those old skills are needed more than ever. I also think it brings the best out of people wanting and given their skills in any way possible. I’ve dedicated my life to helping people and would gladly donate anything I can do to help. I just hope our council members are listening.