Out-of-Towners and Coronavirus

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/21/cornwall-fears-influx-of-out-of-towners-coronavirus-will-overwhelm-nhs-services

It's interesting that this happens in many places including where I live. Our otherwise quiet and rural area often suffers a significant influx of weekenders or what we call 'campers' during the summer months.

Our area is permeated with 'camps' which can in some cases be little more than a glorified shack built in the 1940's that wouldn't pass a building inspection today. Or in other cases they are grand second homes nicer than most of the homes in the area. Most camps or cottages fall somewhere in between.

After deer hunting season, which ends in early December we enter the quiet time which lasts until about April when some of the fishing starts up and there's also spring turkey hunting which is usually toward May. But of course the start of the 'official' season is Memorial Day and indeed there are many 'campers' that focus their visits between Memorial and Labor Days, the cultural summer as it were.

But something different happened this week. The campers are coming up. We've had some warmer weather but then it got chilly again and in fact was spitting snowflakes the other morning. That's typical March weather. One day it's 70F and with the sun it can be oppressive as the leaves aren't out yet, but then the next day it's snowing.

But I think these campers are coming up for reasons other than an early spring. They're not here to hunt or fish. They're here to escape the metropolitan areas surrounding Pittsburgh, Cleveland and some of the smaller cities in Southwest Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio.

Of course everyone here groans about this. Our area hasn't been directly affected by the virus and yet we have felt the effects of the shortages. Now with more people flocking to the area they will put further strain on our resources and potentially bring the virus with them.

In some respects they're doing exactly what the authorities wish they wouldn't. And yet by the accounts I've heard it's pretty ugly in some of the urban areas and when people talk about 'heading for the hills', well, that means into the wooded hill country of Northern and Central Pennsylvania. On the one hand I wish they'd stay put but on the other hand I understand the appeal. I'd certainly rather be here than there. We always have plenty of good water, fresh air, room to stretch and lots of woods. We've been doing a lot of hiking and walking which involves no human contact. Probably the most irritating thing about the city folk apart from hitting are already ailing stores is the noise. Many come to their country retreats and can't sit still. Their 'in the woods' experience seems to involve machines... ATV's, leaf blowers and the like. Some of them seem to be trying to clear the forest of leaves but I think it's really a case of boredom. Our culture increasingly seems unable to sit still and be at peace. I know of so many people who neither read nor are they able to just sit and be at peace... unless they're watching television. Some of these folks literally cannot understand the joy of sitting in a coffee house and reading or talking. Not a few struggle to understand walking in the woods... unless it serves some purpose, unless you're clearing a trail or looking to kill something, why would you do it?

Many seem to be struggling with 'down time' and fighting boredom. I honestly can say I cannot remember being bored except maybe when stuck in a noisy television polluted waiting room that prevents me from reading. I hope people find some peace and learn to use this time wisely but I also wish people would think through their actions a little more carefully. We've always talked about how when the 'big one' happens, all those people would bring the city here. I hope that doesn't happen but if it does I hope some good can come of it.