May 2020
Here we are, in the middle of May 2020, and right in the middle of this pandemic. Our B+B, in it’s 37th year, under normal circumstances, would have already opened about a month ago. April is cold but also a great time to visit the island in the off-season. Harbor seals frolic on empty beaches, the skies and ocean are more grey, more dark blue steel, and the land is shades of brown and tan. Stormy weather with howling winds tell us winter is not really over yet. Then slowly the shad starts blooming, a spectacle seen on a hike through one of the many trails, like Rodman’s Hollow. Now, in mid-May, we have reached the lushness of Spring, when new grass turns a neon green, happy with all the rain, and colorful buds start poking up. Daffodils down in the wildflower meadow below face the sunrise. Block island starts to buzz, as everyone gears up for the season. Saws, hammers, vacuums, pressure jets, lawn mowers, and many more trucks start whizzing by. At night, it’s the peepers in the wetlands, chirping away, declaring their presence to nearby mates.
This year, the spring season feels so much longer than normal. It is also a much quieter one, as residents are all sheltering-in-place, keeping everyone safe in the community. Listening and participating in the many on-line meetings, and endlessly researching guidelines from the hospitality industry has replaced some of the other work we would be doing now to get ready. There have been so many cancellations, refunds, gift cards, and rescheduling before our doors have even opened this year. It’s a constant re-imagining of how this new season will unfold, day by day. We are told to expect 50% less capacity with a very long ramp-up to open. We have signed “STAY SAFE” pledges, written out very detailed “COVID-19 CONTROL PLANS,” and pored over lengthy CDC, RI Hospitality, and OSHA guides for cleaning. Down to the smallest details, we have planned new policies to keep our staff and our guests as safe as possible. We have watched, in the news, disturbing instances of non-compliance all over the country. We have seen that re-opening is not always being handled with much grace and guidance.
Being a small family business, with a very small crew, most of the staff also lives on-site. We operate with a small profit margin. Due to loss of income, a bit of panic set in, what with filling out loan applications and grants, to help float our costs and mainly to keep our staff paid through this time. There will be new items to purchase that we have never had in our inventory before, like EPA-approved cleaning supplies and PPE. This is a challenging time for the hospitality business.
We have a feeling that we will not be able to offer the same close social interaction with our guests this season, and also with our close-knit staff. We wonder how this will impact our work, and our guests’ vacations. We plan to be available 24-7 to our guests via texting and phone. We realize there might be a continuing disruption in the food supply chain. Yesterday, there were 26 deaths in Rhode Island from COVID, the highest one-day-total to date. “CRUSH COVID” was also unveiled, a contact-tracing app. We have not been given the green light from our town or from the Governor to re-open, although places are announcing daily their own opening dates on the island. We are still in Phase 1 and we need to be in Phase 3, before hotels can safely open. A 14-day quarantine remains in place for all out-of-state travelers. The ferry from Pt Judith, the year-round “life-line” to the island, is running on a drastically reduced schedule.
Time will tell, and we are prepared to hang in there to see how the situation unfolds.
When we are able to open responsibly and safely, we ask that all our guests adhere to our safety measures. This includes wearing face masks at all times outside the room on our property, and adhering to the minimum 6 feet distance from all staff and other guests. We are still hopeful and look forward to having our guests visit, although it will be a different experience for us all. Together, we will get through it, and look for sunnier days ahead.