Seasonal Visitors Concern Pugwash During Lockdown
The Chair of the Pugwash Village Commission is concerned that the usual flow of seasonal residents may pose a health concern during the coronavirus pandemic.
Roger Mundle wrote to the Premier and his chief medical officer to outline his concerns in advance of the long weekend, the traditional set-up day for cottages and summer residences.
Mundle says the community usually welcomes a large influx of people but this may not be the year to come to the shore. He said, “This is an important part of our local economy and, under normal circumstances, we enthusiastically welcome these summer residents.” He added, “North Cumberland has been, to our knowledge, entirely free of any cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. All businesses, organizations and local government such as the Village have kept to the guidelines as they have been issued and we believe that this is the greatest reason why this area remains to be free of this devastating virus.”
The commissioner worries that unfettered access to people from outside the area will endanger residents and businesses.
Mundle said, “We realize that today’s loosening of restrictions cannot be retracted but, I urge you to strengthen your warnings to the travelling public, and especially those coming to cottage country.”
He received a quick response to his email letter, but not from the premier nor Dr. Strang. An unidentified employee replied as “COVID19INFO” saying, “We are not sure what you mean by loosening of restrictions today.
Our message on cottages and seasonal campsites has been consistent for the past couple of weeks. If you are staying there for the season, that’s fine. However, you cannot go back and forth between these places and your primary residence if it’s in a different community. We continue to remind Nova Scotians to stick close to home.”
It would appear that “COVID19INFO” missed the point and maybe so did the Premier and his sidekick who see no concern in allowing people from areas of large COVID outbreaks to travel to an area with little or no reports of the virus. The rules state that people cannot travel for visits. It is not how long they stay that matters, it is more about what they might bring with them.
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