Portrait of an Island Under Quarantine
Hatteras Island is a different landscape in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The crisis has hit the island hard, since visitors and non-resident property homeowners were restricted access in the interest of safety last week. Businesses are making a difficult but valiant effort to stay open, while local landmarks and attractions are closing their doors until the pandemic passes.
As locals stay close to home in order to focus on home-school curriculums, or to just stick to social distancing guidelines to protect their friends and neighbors, the island is a ghost town, with beauty in every direction, and few folks out and about to enjoy the views.
The vacant scenes of the island are sad on the surface, but underneath, they display a genuine commitment of the island community to stay home, adhere to social distancing guidelines, and protect Hatteras Island from the spread of COVID-19 in the days and weeks to come.
It has been beautiful on Hatteras. Just not much time to enjoy it with all the work to do. Have had to turn down jobs just to keep up with ongoing projects.
I am so glad I anticipated the blockade and got down here early last week before the bridges got closed. I donated blood and picked up my own groceries before I left DC. I wish the fishing were better but there is no safer place to be right now then at the end of a Barrier Island blockaded by the police.
One thing is certain is that the locals cannot blame the tourist for catching all their fish
A shame that contractors are still allowed access because they can also sorry the virus and deplete resources. We, too, came down BEFORE non resident property owners were denied access. We, too, brought our own supplies. We had dinners from local restaurants using curbside pick up and delivery services, always in support of local businesses. We had work to complete on our house, and had planned this trip in January. But suddenly we were the unwelcome “others”. Contractors are allowed, non resident property owners are not.