AUGUST 2020
Letter to the Editor and to The Town Council,
As a small business owner on the island, I have been struggling for some time to understand the path that the island is heading down. Just like many other small businesses out here, we were closed until the end of June, and have since been working hard to follow the protocols and policies that have been re-shaping our business practices. In June, we were told at meetings that Rhode Island would not be able to provide us with any PPE for the hospitality businesses, and we would all have to fend for ourselves. We were told that it was very important for everyone to wear masks, to follow capacity guidelines concerning staff housing, and to limit any type of congregating. Like every business was told to do, we wrote our own COVID Plan, which was then submitted to the Medical Center for approval. We sat in on zoom meetings with RI Commerce and RI DOH who promised us that inspectors were heading out to the island every weekend, to help enforce mask wearing and to help get businesses who had violations get quickly in compliance.
We wondered if the start of Phase 3 Re-Opening of RI, occurring just a few days before a very busy July 4th holiday weekend, was premature? At that time, COVID cases across the country were reaching an all time high. We wondered aloud many times how the town and police would enforce the rules, to keep everyone safe. Block Island at that point had already canceled the traditional Fireworks, The Parade, and the yearly Steak Fry to benefit the Fire Department. Yet somehow one island establishment was allowed to host an all day-long “Country Music Fest” that drew very large crowds on the holiday weekend. We questioned the ethics of this.
So, we pricked up our ears.
We soon discovered in the coming weeks and verified through friends, co-workers, and other island business partners, that there was a serious lack of enforcement regarding mask-wearing and social distancing on the island. It also became clear that even though the ferries were running at 50-60% capacity, they had added more boats. There was a lot of concern regarding over-crowding and bottlenecks, long wait lines, mask compliance and social distancing. For the last month, the crowds here have seemed huger than ever.
Photos have been taken and shared all over social media showing a lack of respect for the island’s ordinances. Piles of trash have been found on beaches and by the side of the road. Beach fires are left unattended to burn. Tourists are sleeping over-night in their cars, or camping out illegally on the beach. People are setting off fireworks and firecrackers randomly, during a drought. We were just alerted today that starting this Friday, August 7th, all visitors that live in CT, NJ, MA, and NY will now have to quarantine or produce a negative COVID- 19 test on their return from RI, because the Rhode Island’s COVID positivity rate is now so high. There is much debate on how RI counts its positivity rate, with the state of RI disputing the numbers. As of Tuesday, August 4th, Rhode Island has been included in the list of 35 states and territories that have met criteria for high positivity rates. While once considered low risk, we are now on the high-risk list. Exemptions apply for regular commuters and people who are visiting for 24 hours or less, such as “Day-Trippers.”
We were all told, back in May, that the island’s hospitality businesses would be running at 50% capacity for the season. Well, that is definitely not the case now. In fact, the island seems busier than ever, with some elderly islanders fearful to leave their homes, especially on the weekends, due to the over-crowding and unsafe conditions found on the island. At yesterday’s Town Council meeting, it was discussed how there are more moped accidents this year so far than last year. There were a total of 7 life flights in one weekend, which is tragic. Life Flights are very expensive ambulance transport by air, and are weather dependent. We know now what a huge strain The Medical Center, the EMT’s, and BI Volunteer Rescue Squad have been under.
If Block Island doesn’t buckle up, and buckle up quickly, we could be facing more troubling times ahead. Even though my family is in the hospitality business, and struggled this year like everyone else, we ask for real change as to how the coming months ahead will play out. We want to ask that everyone who is planning to visit this island think twice about coming now. This is a small town, on a remote island, with no hospital. We are not the “safe haven” anymore. We have real pressing issues, and will need more time to come up with creative solutions. Profit should not be at the expense of everyone else’s health and safety. We have to wake up to what the negative consequences of over-tourism are, especially now during this pandemic.
We would like to see the Town add further restrictions to the ferries, especially on the weekends, and put a daily limit on the number of round-trip tickets for day-trippers. We would encourage the Town continue to stringently enforce mask wearing and enforce social distancing. We ask that the Town come up with a plan to better educate moped riders, and we ask the BI Tourism agency to come up with a plan to better educate tourists. There needs to be quicker turn-around time for all COVID test results. We also believe the time has come to close the bars and music venues which are known hot-spots and have been in non-compliance. We need to all look out for each other, and for each other’s health and well-being.
Thank you,
Andrea