— from Brendan Cowan, Department of Emergency Management —
On May 22, San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James extended his order limiting non- essential transient lodging operations. The order was previously set to expire on May 31.
In his extension (Order 2020-5), Dr. James ties the future ending of the order to the lifting of Governor’s Inslee’s ban on non-essential travel, currently scheduled to happen when San Juan County moves to Phase 3 of the Governor’s four phased reopening plan.
According to Dr. James, “This makes more sense than setting an arbitrary future date that may need to be modified down the road. Until non-essential travel is allowed in San Juan County by the Governor, it doesn’t make sense to allow non-essential lodging.”
In addition to the limits on lodging, the order also continues to limit playground access, transient moorage, and camping in the County, although the order has been revised to prohibit camping on only the four major ferry-served islands. Requirements that signage be posted on ferries and ferry terminals, ports, marinas, and marine transport vessels remain in place.
Dr. James explains further, “I realize the incredible strain that these state and local limits are placing on our lodging operators and all other visitor supported businesses, and I wish that there was a way to give a definitive date for reopening. Unfortunately, this is a fluid situation and we are timing our actions to be in lockstep with the Governor’s decision to move to Phase 3. As indicated in the order, the current expectation is that Phase 3 will likely occur no earlier than mid- to late June unless the Governor’s phased approach is altered due to changes in circumstances or local waivers applied at the state level.”
For more information about COVID-19 and the local response, please visit www.sjccovid.com.
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I don’t think the limits on transient lodging are being taken very seriously. We have had to go to the mainland for medical appointments a week ago Thursday and were put on overload for the trip back to Orcas on the 3:05 ferry, and when we returned yesterday the 7:05 had cars with water toys and bikes, and some out-of-state plates. I wonder if anyone is checking these rentals, I believe the owners should perhaps have their permits pulled. We have all cooperated here on Orcas with the stay-at-home rules, and it would be a shame if these visitors caused more infections of COVID-19 in San Juan County when we have done so well here keeping it under control.
I agree with Catherine, rentals should be limited! I truly believe that we have done a very good job out here and should feel safe because of it.
It looks like business as usual at West Beach Resort this weekend. I was amazed to see such a flagrant disregard for the travel ban with all the families lining the beach cabins. It’s normally such a joyous sight to me as the summer approaches. Now it seems like a middle finger to the community and to all the local rentals that are following the rules.
Are there no penalties for violating the ban? If there are, who is responsible for enforcing them?
Christopher Evans hits the mark bullseye.
As I went kayaking about 3 to 4 pm Saturday, there were several families at West Beach Resort basking in the sun, clustered around picnic tables, or just walking around the grounds. I counted about 15 individuals, including about half a dozen children. One young woman was on a paddleboard at the water’s edge, with two children wanting to climb aboard. Almost all the units I could see were occupied, with cars next to them, lights on and doors open.
The resort’s web site claims it is accepting only essential workers, as provided in Public Health Officer Frank James’s order, but these people were obviously not very “essential.” The County Sheriff and elected officials should be looking into this situation.
While the decision made by Gov. Inslee, San Juan County & Dr. Frank made sense back in March, they are all now ruining the economy of Washington and San Juan County. This is causing undue and unnecessary suffering. Washington was the first state to have Covid and we are the last to reopen. San Juan County positive test rate is .0008, how low does it have to be to allow tourism which powers this economy. Phase 2 doesn’t help much if no one besides locals are here to spend money. The islands as a whole can’t be one great big isolation zone reserved only for those who live here. People need to stop living in fear and listening to the main stream media but investigate the facts. There is so much damage being caused by the isolation…. spousal abuse, child abuse, depression, substance abuse, suicide, etc.. It’s time to wake up and get back to life. Will there be more cases, yes. To think otherwise would be a fantasy. It’s time to reopen the islands!
With literally zero enforcement, this transient lodging ban isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. Yeah, this isn’t going to end well….
People are not taking this ban seriously and it seems there is no enforcement.Why have it if this is what is happening. Same old story one rotten apple can destroy the entire basket.
1/2
I sense a lot of confusion around this mythical “travel ban” when I read comments here. To be clear on the facts:
The WA state 20-25 proclamation does not call for a “travel ban”, in fact if you search the text the word “travel” does not appear in it at all. What it does say is this:
“I hereby order that all people in Washington State are immediately prohibited from leaving their home or place of residence except to conduct or participate in (1) essential activities, and/or (2) employment in providing essential business services”.
There are four listed “essential activities” including (paraphrasing) – shopping, health-related, caring for others and exercise (read the proclamation for full text).
(continued)
2/2
The legal definitions are quite loose and fuzzy. There is no distance-restriction, there is no saying you can’t get on a Ferry to perform them. As I read the West Beach website they don’t claim to be hosting “essential workers” only – they do require a signed declaration that the visitor is “travelling as essential personnel or other exemptions traveling as essential personnel or other exemptions as listed in current State and County Proclamations”.
The SJ County 2020-3 order is simply requiring transient accommodations only accept people that are engaged in “essential activities’.
So if a visitor declares they are coming to orcas perform one of the four exemptions (eg. Exercise), they don’t seem to be in violation of the order and I suspect that the sheriff has nothing to ‘enforce’. ??
So essentially the order from Dr. James is meaningless.
That’s just plain silly, Jack. If it were so, all the SJC lodgings would be open for business, especially those close to the water. But when I paddled by Beach Haven just up the shore from West Beach Resort, it was shut down entirely, not one person in sight.
Read the Order #2020-3 more carefully. Under Item 3, Transient Accommodations, it says:
“Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this order, owners and operators of transient accommodations or campground and camping facilities located in San Juan County shall not provide accommodations for purposes of recreation, leisure, or sightseeing.”
Sounds pretty clear to me. Not “fuzzy” at all.
When we start to cite loopholes in these orders, rather than have an honest discussion about their meaning, guess who loses?
The community.
No one out there can honestly believe that the intention is to allow vacationers to come here at this point. Whether you believe that’s right or not, don’t work the letter of the law to fit your belief system.
I love West Beach resort. It’s an amazing place and I feel bad for them during this time. But I feel worse for places like the kangaroo house, who has honored the true intention of these orders, whether they’re issued from the county or the state, and whether they believe in them or not.
@Michael
Yes – you are correct that “recreation, leisure, or sightseeing” are non-essential activities, as reinforced by the county order and originally excluded from the list if “essential activities” per the state proclamation.
I suspect if you looked at west beaches list of declarations from visitors none of them would claim to be here for those things.
But they *could* be here for “exercise” or one of the other three state definitions, right?
This is lawyerly hair-splitting ad nauseam. Exercise is recreation. And oly one person I saw was actually exercising. Essential activities are those that are necessary to maintaining the health and safety of the community as a whole, as well as certain economic activities.
Phase 2 specifically states, under travel, that non-essential travel is permitted within the proximity of your home. San Juan County is not within the proximity of any home on the mainland.
As to “exercise”, it would be reasonable to interpret state law exemptions related to travel as meaning “being able to leave your house, go for a walk, in a local neighborhood or perhaps a park, while maintaining social distance.” It would not seem reasonable to get on a ferry with a paddleboard, a cooler, some lounge chairs, your family, and go to an island that has specifically prohibited transient rental accommodations.
As to requiring a guest to sign a statement that they are “essential workers”, such as West Beach and other violators are doing (is a writer or artist an essential worker? For whom are any of these folks working?), this is obviously a ruse to shift responsibility to the visitor. This is an example of moral and ethical bankruptcy. Capitalism over community: contempt-able.
Ban on transient housing
The houses on either side of my place are both occupied by vacation renters this weekend. Both homes are owned by people off-island. One house has two cars parked there, and the other has children’s toys in the driveway. I wish the owners would respect our wish to stay healthy. That, to me, is more important that the income that comes from rentals.
I came and chose to live in this community for its tolerance and friendliness. Myself having a Masters in Critical Care Nursing, 3 combat tours and 27 years of critical care practice, I am disgusted in the fear mongers, finger pointers and quite honest SS type mentality lately. I treated Taliban with more compassion than what I see taken place to my fellow Americans. Just yesterday, I saw a family unit being chastised for what looked to be a 4 to 5 year old standing next to their mother at the Pantry going to Moran by a disrespectful full time islander. Folks, a child is going to stand next to their mother or father. I can also not stress enough to understand the proper use of PPE, much less educate on the difference between Droplet and Airborne precautions. If you do not know the difference keep your trap shut!!!! Your comments only add to the misinformation. Welcome the visitors as we have met the metrics to enter phase 2. Think before you speak, turn off the news and actually smile.
Take a step back and listen to this thread. It’s disgusting and half of you all should be ashamed. This is not the way we treat our fellow man. Quite honestly it’s hypocritical especially when you throw in the science. I stress education, getting yourself informed on the actual science. Your nasty mask that hasn’t been changed in at least an hour or two is as useful as preventing disease transmission as a dirty diaper wrapped around your face. Folks those are facts grounded in science that does not care about your feelings or political beliefs. As stated in my previous threads,” don’t let my Masters in Critical Care and years work alongside Intensivist and Pulmonologist conflict with your google search. Please read get informed, stop the hate and look in your own backyard before pulling out the pitchforks to any ferry docking. I plan greeting them with a smile because I want them to see the best in what this community can offer.
John, wow, even with all those acronyms after your name, I’m thinking you didn’t pay much attention to world history if you think our community’s concern for its health and safety is somehow reminiscent of the SS….but seriously great rant, I especially enjoyed the part about how you guys showed more respect to the Taliban, but I think there’s 640,000-1.4m Afghans that would probably disagree with that remark, if they were still alive…
Luther,
Your lack of the subject matter is quite apparent. I treated all that came my direction. So, I’ll basically bring my argument to a kindergarten level so not to confuse you. Taliban is being enfolded into the Afghanistan’s government. Similar to the NSDAP, of course the name is changed but the ideology is the same currently holding seats in the Germany’s Reichstag. Like most heath care professionals we don’t bring morality to the equation. Debate 101 or anyone engaged in a argument with a response that falls into shamming language or as stated fear have no valid rebuttal at all. As far as history is concerned ,I minored in it! Please keep those rainbow flags waving but actually following it’s tolerance that it represents, I guess not Luther. If I struck a nerve good! Or as 20 something said, “Ok Bommer”. Since the outbreak out, we have 1 reported death. Age was not listed.
Luther,
I also will reinforce because I am part of the community!!!!!! Your spearing of fear is worse then the transmission of Covid. Overwhelming those expose will recover with no need of a hospital. By all means go leave in a cave but the virus is hear to stay. I was in middle school watching what we did to Ryan White out of fear. The adults were wrong then as the fear mongering is now. Get yourself educated Luther, as in Ryan’s case, it seems history does repeat itself.
John, adorable, but again where is the tolerance in your comment equating our community’s concerns with temporarily limiting non essential visitors with the SS, who were literally responsible for the death of millions…I’m happy to get into a discussion regarding the nuances of US war crimes in Afghanistan, but that might be best saved for a different thread…
Really feel kids should be allowed to use skateboard park and basketball
Hoops.
Hmmm. Seems to me that my taxes help support the Washington State Ferries. That being said I believe that if I want to visit the San Juan Islands I should be able to pay the ferry toll and go. If islanders are so concerned about visitors entering the inlands maybe they shouldn’t come to the mainland or receive supplies from the mainland. Those supplies and the folks who deliver them could be infected. Just some thoughts for discussion.
John – there is no “luther bliss”. No public record of such a person on Orcas. No point in arguing with something that won’t identify itself.
Thank you for protecting the self indulgent “intellectual snobs” who take our exceptional liberties for granted while denying them to others! Your words, your generation, your service and courage continually restor my faith and hope.
You and I share a different perspective tempered by a strong dose of reality! You are not alone and I know that tomorrow you and I will take time to remember those who gave that last full measure of devotion!
“Luther” I don’t have a red hat, mine is blue and it says Vietnam to those, like John, who can read it.
Phil, why exactly you would do a public record search on me is a little creepy…but as a 17 year full time resident of Orcas, I’m as real as your blue hat.
Erik Nelson needs to get his numbers correct before making statements and conclusions based on them. This is what has been called “innumeracy.”
As I will explain in a forthcoming Orcas Issues article, the “positivity rating” of San Juan County is about 1.5 percent, and that of Orcas Island about 1.8 percent, not 0.0008. But that means that something like 98.5 percent of us are still vulnerable.
People coming here from the mainland are much more likely to be carrying the Covid-19 virus, some of them asymptomatically, and thus able to infect islanders. That is why Public Health Officer Frank James has reasonably extended the ban on transient rental accommodations. Which West Beach Resort is violating and putting its workers and the rest of us at risk.
Creepy, here’s what’s creepy; you noted I was working on finish carpentry, how did you know precisely what it is that I am working on in the middle of a twelve acre, posted parcel? How did you know that? Who are you talking to and why? You’ve already identified yourself as a community snitch so who are you “luther bliss”
Wow, ok, take some deep breaths. Not everything is a conspiracy.
You told me, as well as everyone who reads OI in one of your past diatribes.
“ Last year I completed construction of a new home after four years of work….. but I have a number of finishing tasks to do.”
One important question recurs every time I see a report of known violators of the County’s clear ban on short-term rentals during this phase of the pandemic. Has anyone reported their observations to the County? While I understand the difficulty of enforcement in other states where the rules are ill-defined and undermined by our “leaders,” our rules are straightforward.
It seems appropriate for the Sheriff or the County enforcement officer to contact the listed owners to ask about the presence of apparent off-island renters. The result of the inquiry–which should include checking the “essential personnel” documents–should be recorded.
If one wants to reduce the number of vacation rentals, the best way is to have the noncompliant ones removed from the permit rolls. This also applies when and if we return to normalcy. Before the arrival of the Covid-19 crisis, we saw and heard lots of complaints from persons reportedly in a position to know of VR violations, but not many reports to enforcement.