Letter to the Editor: Preventing the Spread of COVID-19

As a resident of Illinois who owns a home in Door County, I find the county board’s coronavirus advisory to be misguided, a bit parochial and decidedly un-American. 

I understand the board members’ concern about reducing the spread of the coronavirus. I share their concern. My wife and I are over 70, and my son has an autoimmune disease. If the county board is concerned about the spread of the virus, it should send out an advisory about social distancing and wearing masks. 

If the board truly believes that it can reduce the spread of the virus by discouraging second-home owners from coming to Door, they should also discourage Door County residents from traveling outside of the county. After all, the first two cases of infection in Door County were apparently caused by Door County residents traveling outside of the county. 

Nor do second-home owners cause a drain on services. Shortages in Door County are comparable to those in Illinois. And yes, there aren’t sufficient medical facilities, but they are insufficient even without second-home owners living here. If things get bad, Door County residents will need to go to medical facilities outside of the county. Should those other facilities put Door County residents at the end of line because they are not local?

In the end, the only way to defeat this virus is to work together to follow CDC recommendations. We will come out the other side healthy, and hopefully, we will all be able to enjoy summer in Door County.

Stanley B. Eisenhammer 

Arlington Heights, Illinois