Look around you: Hilton Head’s coronavirus ‘zoo’ by the numbers | Letters
The Island Packet quoted RBC Heritage golfer Justin Thomas as saying, “It’s an absolute zoo around here,” referent to COVID-19 safety precautions on Hilton Head Island.
We agreed and wanted to define “zoo.”
We evaluated COVID-19 safety by estimating how many people wear masks. Observations were made at a north-island store, one in mid-island, and a busy south-island tourist area.
Four hundred seventy-two consecutive people were observed, and their ages estimated. Twenty-five of 472 (5.3%) wore masks. Mask-wearing ranged from 42% at the mid-island store to 2% at the shopping area.
Social distancing of six feet or greater was, at best, sporadic everywhere.
Among those aged 1-30, 9% wore a mask, 3% aged 31-60 wore one, and 19% over age 60 did.
Experts generally agree masks limit aerosolized droplet spread of COVID-19 from coughs, sneezes and speaking. A mask primarily blocks infected droplets and keeps them confined within it. It is less certain whether masks protect users from already aerosolized virus.
We can identify four scenarios where those in close contact might decline a mask. They include: recovery from previous COVID-19, eating with relatives, not realizing masks limit infected droplet dispersal, and not caring if this is true. The latter is most worrisome and, we fear, most widespread.
The South Carolina COVID-19 surge is extremely disturbing. With no vaccine, wearing a mask is among the more effective and cost-effective methods to limit spread.
We urge visitors and residents to respect the right of others to preserve their health.
Gary C. Brown, MD
Melissa M. Brown, MD, MN
Hilton Head Island
Masks must be mandatory; town appalling
Masks must be mandatory.
As a resident of Hilton Head Island, I’m appalled by the town not taking a stance against tourists who are infecting this island.
Have Walmart and all grocery and liquor stores require masks. Locals have to use these businesses regularly. We can avoid people without masks, but we’re exposed to them on a weekly basis. Wear a mask or don’t shop at these places.
Enforce it and things will change for our island and our lifestyle.
David Neff
Hilton Head Island
Town of Hilton Head Island must demand masks
Here we are again. Our town, health care system and health of our residents are again under siege by the great upsurge in COVID-19 cases.
The catalyst for this are the tourists. Individually they may not be the root cause, but their influx in great numbers and the opening of indoor dining facilities created the perfect storm for spreading the virus.
Restaurants greatly increased their kitchen and service staffs, forcing these individuals to work in tight, indoor conditions with no mandatory use of face coverings. Many of these individuals have been in dire financial condition and being desperate for work do not heed the stay-home-if-sick suggestion as they won’t get paid. They also may live in tight quarters, creating a traceable path from kitchen to home and family.
Hilton Head Island Town Council must act now, as other South Carolina cities have done, to make face masks mandatory. This must be followed by signage on all establishments restricting entry to face mark wearers.
While difficult, making tourists comply is absolutely necessary if we are to gain control.
Town Council must act now to protect the lives of citizens they took an oath to protect.
Eric Bretzel
Hilton Head Island
Restaurant that made the right choice
Dear management of Main Street Café: In the interest of safety you have closed until August. You could have remained open. You could have allowed your servers and food handlers to work without face masks and gloves.
You could have allowed your bartenders to belly up to the bar with patrons sitting elbow to elbow, ignoring social distancing guidelines, all without wearing masks.
Instead, you put the safety of your staff and full-time residents of Hilton Head Island first.
As a result of your decision, your servers will not bring the disease home and spread it among their moms, dads, siblings, grandparents, and friends.
No islander will become sick because of your decision. No islander will be hospitalized because of your decision and no islander will die because of your decision.
When you reopen, we will be there. Thank you.
John Burley
Hilton Head Island
Use ‘plantation’ to educate and learn
“How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it. – Marcus Aurelius.
The word “plantation” is a small grievance, but it does start a conversation that leads to understanding history, and that is of consequence.
I understand how the Gullah citizens feel about the connotation of the word “plantation.” However, in the rush to expunge history, maybe we ought to think about the unintended consequences.
Many times, as a docent for history tours of Hilton Head Island, visitors from all over America ask me why the housing developments are called plantations. I reply, “You are standing in what used to be an actual plantation.”
The response is invariably, “I had no idea about any of the history of this island.”
The fact that this is the first place that the slaves were freed, or that Mitchelville was the first freedman’s village, or that the first naval battle in the War Between the States took place here is unknown.
Every election cycle, politicians speak whimsically about the wonderful things they are going to do for Mitchelville. It stands as an acreage of woods with a few pitiful structures that look like converted garage doors. But it gets them elected and then nothing happens. It creates the illusion they have done something.
If this town is serious about its history (I doubt they are), do not be peevish and get rid of the name “plantation.” Use it to educate, and learn what happened here starting in 1717.
Chris D. Clayton
Hilton Head Island
Still mired in systemic racism
We fought a Civil War to end over 200 years of slavery and spent 12 years trying to dismantle its effects (Reconstruction) before it ended with the rise of the Klan, white citizens councils and lynchings.
For the next 80 years, the nation remained racially segregated in all walks of life. In the 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his movement challenged our conscience. Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society programs and vigorous enforcement of newly-enacted civil rights laws began to address the unfulfilled promises of Reconstruction. White America was once again forced to face the discomfort of sharing public and private space with African Americans.
Less than 10 years later, the second backlash began fanned through subtle racist appeals to whites who resented school busing, affirmative action, zoning changes, and voting reforms. Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980 on a platform of ending “governmental interference” in these areas.
Federalist Society lawyers were embedded in DOJ to stifle meaningful court desegregation remedies and they began to infiltrate the court system. Republicans in Congress limited funding or eliminated many Great Society programs. We elected our first African American president in 2008 but he was hamstrung by Republicans led by the Tea Party and their Congressional allies who stalled his agenda.
So here we are, still mired in systemic racism. Will the George Floyd movement result in meaningful change? Will this become our third post-Civil War Reconstruction moment, or will we descend further into the racial resentments?
Richard Ritter
Hilton Head Island
Race: My journey begins today
I live under the umbrella of white privilege. With all that is going on in this country, I feel it is time for me to dig deep within myself, to identify the biases I had, just because I was born white in America.
When I first heard the term “white privilege” my initial thought was, “Well, that’s not me.” I am not one of those people. I have black friends. I’m a good person.
But that is not the whole picture. I never had to fear being pulled over by the police. I never experienced discrimination. And I never had to live in fear. I never had to experience any of this, just because I am white.
I realized it was my time to really recognize what white privilege means. A review of literature tells us that white privilege is a something we are taught not to recognize.
Those days are over.
I now recognize that I am a product of white privilege. The next steps are mine to take.
I need to take a deep look at my biases and my beliefs. I also need to identify what I can do to move past these biases and beliefs. I need to challenge the status quo and I need to begin to be part of that change.
My journey is not something that will happen overnight, but my journey starts today.
M. Lauree Barreca
Hilton Head Island
Anti-fascists saved freedom for the world 75 years ago
The republic has dodged a terrible threat. No, not the virus. That was never a real threat to more than a few people. You know, like the flu every year. Gotta be true, our president said so.
No, I’m talking about the ultimate bogeyman: MS13. They were going to be the end of civilization as we know it. However, they’ve disappeared from the federal Twittersphere, so I guess we’re safe.
But don’t relax your anxiety level. A terrible new threat has emerged: Antifa! You know, short for anti-fascist. Gotta be true, our president said so.
Unlike the fascist side, which he said contains “very fine people” (so, you know, gotta be true), the Antifa is a real threat to the nation. Especially those who pine for the good old days when everyone knew their place.
Having been unable to serve his nation’s military during a war due to a serious medical issue, I guess our commander in chief can be excused for his poor grasp of military history. Apparently he doesn’t realize that the 16 million American men and women who served during World War II were all Antifa.
Thank the Lord.
Tom Downs
Beaufort
For equitable society, we need action from the powerful, not accusations
It is sad and humorous how conservatives write letters to the editor desperately trying to find equivalency for right wing hate groups such as white supremacist organizations, the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups funded in some manner by right wing billionaires.
They have now latched on to Antifa, which is not an organization, has no leaders and is not funded in any manner. It is a loosely developed group of citizens around the country that are concerned that the billionaire donor class has purchased the government they want and that its focus is to politically and financially dominate the other 90%.
Because President Donald Trump and Fox News blame Antifa for riots, looting and other actions, the uninformed right-wing masses (apparently 40% of voters) jump on the bandwagon and demand action against them. Many of the riotous actions are fueled by individuals on the right to cast blame on the left. It is an old ploy to instigate something and then point at the other person. It is unfortunate that people are so easily duped.
Although I do not condone riots, after hundreds of years of suppression and non-action to move the United States toward an equitable society for all, sometimes drastic action is needed to get the attention necessary for change. Black Lives Matter should not be viewed as something new. It is the latest iteration in the drive for equity for everyone.
We need action from the powerful, not finger pointing at those trying to promote change.
Richard Hammes
Hilton Head Island
Chief justice’s stance appalling
United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts latest “legislation” regarding DACA is another in a string of his decisions that have been nothing more than appalling. He doesn’t deserve to be on the high court much less its chief.
When approved by the Senate, he said that he would not engage in making up laws but would “act like an umpire just calling balls and strikes.”
If that’s what he thinks he’s doing he’s woefully mistaken because he’s moving around the strike zone to fit the results that he wants.
Albert Emanuelli
Hilton Head Island
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