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.”
