‘Word is out:’ Hilton Head is a ‘zoo’ amid coronavirus. Who’s responsible for change?
In the weeks leading up to the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing, Hilton Head Island officials were glowing about all the attention the island would get, even though the televised event prohibited fans from attending.
And it certainly got attention.
Hilton Head made hundreds of headlines for golf updates, and dozens more when a pro golfer called the island a “zoo” in a Saturday interview following the announcement that another player had tested positive for coronavirus.
“I mean, no offense to Hilton Head, but they’re seeming to not take it very seriously,” golfer Justin Thomas said. “It’s an absolute zoo around here. There’s people everywhere. The beaches are absolutely packed. Every restaurant, from what I’ve seen when I’ve been driving by, is absolutely crowded.”
Thomas’ comments come as Hilton Head Island and Beaufort County are seeing record numbers of coronavirus cases each day, and as businesses prepare for even bigger crowds over the July 4 weekend.
The bridge to the island is packed to its usual summertime capacity on Saturdays. Visitors are taking joy in the island playground, where restrictions are far fewer than in their oft-northern hometowns.
“Restaurants were teeming inside and out, bicyclists were swarming dedicated paths and side streets, hotels were running at or near capacity judging from the overflow parking lots, and Mom-and-Pop shops were bustling,” reporter Steve DiMeglio wrote for Golfweek.
“Social distancing? A dismissed exercise. Masks? About a ratio of one to ten against,” he wrote. “It’s as if the coronavirus never reached these shores.”
Heritage officials on the “zoo” comments
Leaders on the island, specifically those who pushed to get RBC Heritage rescheduled this year, are reeling from the observations and trying to figure out what to do next.
Steve Wilmot, RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing tournament director, said Tuesday that Thomas’ comments were not necessarily about the tournament, but Hilton Head in general.
“I think his comments were ... directed toward outside things,” he said. “We did not encourage any social or activities, and I was very proud of how the community responded to the fact that the tournament was coming.”
Wilmot said the media broadcasts highlighted the island “tremendously” to potential visitors and sports fans.
“The beauty shots? We couldn’t pay for that,” he said of the aerial videos of Hilton Head.
The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce did not respond to a request for interview Tuesday.
Shortly after golfer Thomas’ remark about the “zoo,” RBC Heritage posted a video of the golfer explaining what he likes best about the Harbour Town Golf Links course.
‘Tired of emails and statements ‘urging’ people’
Hilton Head leaders have also responded to Thomas’ comments and criticisms of Hilton Head for not taking the virus seriously.
“I thought it was a little bit unfair, kind of a reaction to a friend who had tested positive,” Town Manager Steve Riley said Tuesday.
But Riley once again said his hands were tied on implementing stronger policies to limit transmission of the virus on the island.
“We’ve tried to encourage mask wearing. There are businesses and tourists doing a good job. But beyond the encouragement there’s not a lot we can do. It’s not clear we have the legal authority,” he said. “We have no real enforcement mechanism.”
Some residents are fed up with that response.
“So the question is why you’re not taking action. We’re getting tired of emails and statements ‘urging’ people. …It’s not working,” Mickey Goodman wrote in an email to town council members that he shared with The Island Packet.
The town has not discussed a mask requirement in recent weeks, even as other South Carolina cities with fewer visitors have.
The City of Columbia on Friday will start requiring masks for anyone in public and within six feet of someone else. Employees of all businesses will also be required to wear masks, The State newspaper in Columbia reported.
The City of Greenville on Tuesday began requiring face masks or coverings for customers and workers in grocery stores and pharmacies, Greenville News reported.
The absence of legal authority and enforcement ability has been the chief reason Hilton Head leaders have said they can’t do much more without being sued for overstepping. Riley and Mayor John McCann turned to that defense when the town didn’t require masks in public and again when the town council passed a resolution “encouraging” rental companies to close for the entire month of April — and then repealed it three days later.
The council cited a “massive threat of lawsuits” as its reason for repealing the resolution.
But now, because of last weekend’s crowds, Hilton Head is back in the spotlight, and town leaders once again have deferred to the governor to declare stronger restrictions to protect people.
McCann and Riley both told news outlets this week that they were hoping to see S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster require masks in public.
At its Tuesday meeting, the Town Council did not consider any form of local mask rule.
Will the honor system fix this?
The expectation to self-police appears to be on the rise.
At Tuesday’s Town Council meeting, Ward 6 representative Glenn Stanford said he was working on a proposal for Hilton Head residents to self-report businesses that were following CDC guidelines on social distancing and mask wearing — and those that were ignoring guidelines.
Stanford floated the idea of a “good” list and a “bad” list to be published on the town’s website.
But the idea of publicly shaming businesses based on single reviews didn’t sit well with other council members.
“I’m a little concerned about having citizens turn in establishments that choose not to do that,” Ward 2 representative Bill Harkins said. “I’d rather be more positive.”
Harkins suggested the town print signs that say, “We choose to wear masks here. We hope you do the same,” to post on restaurants’ and business’ doors.
Stanford said he would develop the idea and present it once again at the council’s next meeting on July 21.
Meanwhile, several Beaufort County restaurants are closing to prevent the spread of the virus. Tio’s Latin American Kitchen, Main Street Cafe and Pub, and Cool Cats Lounge have all shut their doors to keep staff safe. Other restaurants, such as Captain Woody’s in Bluffton and Fat Patties in Port Royal, have announced a team member has tested positive for the virus and have closed temporarily.
Restaurant owners are deciding individually how to handle staff members’ positive COVID-19 tests, but Riley is not optimistic that self-policing will work on the island. He suspects law enforcement will be necessary for the town to see change.
“We’ve had a lot of years where cooperation and goodwill have gone a long way,” he said. “With society and the community changing that much, only tickets and uniforms will get people’s attention.”
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office has issued about 100 warnings for gatherings on the beach during the pandemic, but none of the island’s ordinances outlines clear consequences for ignoring the town’s pleas for social distancing.
Asked how the town will change course given the rising case numbers, Riley said he couldn’t answer.
To Goodman, the resident who complained to the council, the golfer’s “zoo” comment — and the town’s failure to enforce any restrictions — likely will impact the tourism season far beyond the next several weeks. Hilton Head’s capacity is expected to peak on July 4th weekend.
“Word is ‘out,’” he wrote. “South Carolina has been on the national news for at least two weeks as a disaster area, and now Hilton Head has been explicitly cited. This is not going to bode well for the remainder of the tourist season.”
This story was originally published June 24, 2020 at 10:12 AM.
