Local Voices
Opinion: East Hampton COVID 19; Success Story or Ticking Timebomb
Half way through the summer the crowds are here the numbers are down but will they remain down or explode up?
It’s been a summer like no other out in East Hampton. People wearing masks, beach parking being monitored, no live music in bars because the bars are still closed and most interesting outdoor dining on the sidewalks of the village being allowed all in the name of safety.
The worst fear of NYC visitors infecting the local population has not materialized and in fact it is the NYC visitors who seem to be most diligent in observing the proper safety protocols. Many locals are not enthusiastic about the mask wearing except when they are working in establishments that legally require it.
With so much actual space East Hampton provides a safe place to safe space. That is why local real estate is booming. People are purchasing safe space! I know one broker who has six closings in the next two weeks. Sounds like 2006 all over again. Then there is the flip side, with bar and restaurant employees seeing their earnings non-existent or way below expectations and need.
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Months back Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc was kind enough to answer some questions I posed to him about the coming summer season in East Hampton and the Coronavirus epidemic. At the time I didn’t believe the beaches would be open this summer. He wasn’t sure but was confident the EH Town Board would somehow succeed in opening the beaches safely. So far the plan has been successful. Unlike Smith Point Beach up island where over 10 lifeguards have tested positive for coronavirus the East Hampton lifeguards are coronavirus free. Something must be working.
However as Florida, Texas and California have shown anything can happen at anytime with coronavirus if protocols are ignored or abandoned. With historically busy August almost at hand and with an unofficial record amount of folks out on the east end what seems like a success of diminishing COVID 19 numbers can and will change on a dime should folks become careless. This virus remains a ticking time-bomb! We all must do our part not to light the fuse.