Outer Banks sees low covid-19 numbers; remains popular vacation spot despite pandemic

Counties that make up the Outer Banks barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina have mostly been spared by the covid-19 pandemic, and Gov. Roy Cooper on Friday moved the state into the next phase of the tiered reopening plan.

The next phase, beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, is Phase 2.5 of the state’s Safer at Home initiative put in place earlier this year to stem the rising tide of coronavirus deaths.

About 3 million vacationers have passed through Dare County since beaches there reopened in mid-May, according to a report from The Virginian-Pilot last week detailing how the vacation hotspot has avoided becoming a covid-19 hotspot.

While the pandemic gave Rose Ravasio of Pittsburgh and her three friends pause, they decided to keep their plans for a trip to the southern part of the Outer Banks at a beachfront home they rented a year in advance.

“The pandemic definitely had us talking — we all have been watching the positive covid case numbers in North Carolina in general since about the beginning of August,” she said.

She said the four decided it would be safe to spend the time together, as they’ve all been working from home and keeping their circles of contacts small. She said they also don’t plan to put themselves in large group settings while they’re down there .

“We’re not interested in touring or seeing the sights, and we’ll probably order takeout or delivery on the nights we don’t cook for each other,” she said. “We, of course, will be careful, mask up and social distance when we need to go to the grocery store there as well as when we are on the beach — which is normally pretty sparse anyway.”

A health official in the Outer Banks told the Pilot that state officials have contacted the county “roughly 12 times tracing virus cases to the area.”

In Pennsylvania, a Department of Health spokesman said the department does not have information on cases that have come from other states. North Carolina was previously part of the department’s list of states from which Pennsylvanians should quarantine for two weeks after visiting.

Contact tracers in Allegheny County, though, have tracked such numbers. The number of cases traced back to North Carolina have varied by week, with the most coming two weeks ago: 11 from Aug. 9 to 15. The week prior, four were traced back to the state.

Dare County is home to a majority of the vacation spots — Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Duck, Southern Shores and a slew of unincorporated areas that stretch down to Hatteras.

Among residents and vacationers, there have been 460 covid-19 cases reported in the county: 245 among residents and 215 among nonresidents, according to data from the county. Of the ill residents, 230 have recovered, and two have died.

As of Sept. 2, there were 16 active cases among residents, and none of them was hospitalized. Fourteen are isolating at home and two are isolating outside of the county.

Among nonresidents, 137 have recovered and 78 have transferred to isolation in their home county. Two are isolating in Dare County.

Sheila Davies, director of Dare County’s health department, told the Pilot that swift reporting has helped slow the spread, as those who test positive can isolate sooner and their close contacts can monitor themselves and quarantine.

“This timely response is helping reduce the spread of the virus,” she told the newspaper.

All of that has meant business hasn’t taken quite the hit it could have.

“It’s been surprisingly good,” Garry Oliver, owner of the Outer Banks Fishing Pier and Fishheads Bar and Grill in Nags Head, told the Pilot. “I have 30 people on my staff, and none of them have caught the virus.”

North Carolina’s National Park Service reported earlier this summer that Cape Hatteras saw a near-record breaking number of visitors in June — just under 400,000. That’s the highest number of visits to the shore since 2002.

David Hallac, superintendent of National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, said the remote Hatteras beaches make it easy to remain physically distanced from others.

Towns along the banks seem to be gearing up for a busier fall, with five municipalities extending lifeguard coverage beyond Labor Day, which generally marks the tear-down of lifeguard stands, according to the Outer Banks Voice.

The governor’s decision to move the state to Phase 2.5 means slightly looser restrictions at a host of establishments.

Limits on gatherings will increase from 10 people indoors to 25 people. Outside, the limit will increase to 50. Playgrounds will reopen, and museums and aquariums can open at 50% capacity.

Bars, nightclubs, movie theaters, indoor entertainment venues and amusement parks remain closed. Restaurants have been operating at 50% dine-in capacity with distancing requirements for several months and alcohol sales must end at 11 p.m., and both requirements remain in place for Phase 2.5.