Cape May County Freeholder Director Gerald M. Thornton is worried that visitors may overtax the county's medical resources if there is a mass outbreak of coronavirus. (Photo courtesy of Cape May County)
Cape May County Freeholder Director Gerald M. Thornton is urging visitors to stay home during the next two weeks amid the coronavirus threat.
Many people have come down to use their second homes or to stay with family at the shore while schools are closed throughout most of the country.
These visitors have put an additional strain on the local supermarkets and could eventually be a burden on the medical system in Cape May County if a significant outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) takes place here, Thornton said.
We love all of our visitors from Pennsylvania, North Jersey, New York, and further away, he said in a press release Tuesday. But this is not the time to be visiting the shore as we try to focus resources needed during this pandemic to our residents.
There have been reports of limited supplies at certain supermarkets and other stores, which is an issue nationwide, but has been compounded locally by the number of visitors to Cape May County over the past weekend, Thornton said.
Cape May County only has one hospital and Thornton wants to ensure medical resources aren't overtaxed if potentially sick people visit the county cause a mass outbreak.
Also, based on the governor's orders, restaurants are doing takeout business only or have closed completely. Movie theaters and many other gathering locations are closed.
We are hoping that people act responsibly now so we can minimize the health impacts in as short of a period of time as possible, Thornton said. It would be best if people could stay in their full-time residence for now as we address this current outbreak.
Asked today if Atlantic County would issue a similar request, Freeholder Chairman Frank Formica said the issue could be considered.
If I had to make a direct response to that, not knowing what Gerry Thornton actually was considering, or the jurisdiction we would have keeping people away from their second homes, it's a question we can look into. I think it's best asked of our health experts to determine the effectiveness of that.
Margate Emergency Management Coordinator Chuck LaBarre on Saturday said that public safety officials discussed the influx of visitors to the Downbeach area during a multi-jurisdictional meeting to review protocols and discuss public safety's response to the virus.
"As the weather warms, it's easy for people to just get in their cars and drive to their summer homes," he said.
As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, there were no reported cases of the virus in Atlantic County.
LaBarre said Margate is aware the population will increase "a little," but it will be ready when the virus presents itself.
In the meantime, police dispatchers are screening all emergency medical service calls in detail to determine if the caller has had any exposure to the virus.
"We all have infectious disease protocols. This thing is fluid and we will take every possible precaution to protect our police, fire and emergency medical technicians," he said.
