WEAR THE DAMN MASK!
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This past Thursday 77,225 NEW cases of coronavirus were recorded nationwide. Hospitalizations are on the urgent uptick. Many morgues are at capacity. As of today, more than 13.8 million people throughout the world have been diagnosed with the virus, resulting in more than 590,000 deaths.
WEAR THE DAMN MASK!
Right here in my wonderful corner of Maine, restaurants and shops struggle to stay afloat. Two popular Kennebunkport restaurants, Hurricane and Alisson’s on Dock Square, have erected big white tents in a back parking lot to ease diners’ fears of eating inside. They’re booked nightly but the normal summer numbers are greatly reduced.
Shops like Hurlbutt Design and Colonial Pharmacy, where masks are required for entry, feature large plastic translucent shields in front of the checkout area to help maintain safe payment transactions.
At the Nonantum Resort on Ocean Avenue, individual “tented cabanas” along the Kennebunk River can be reserved for private dining. Great ingenuity, yes, but will those few cabanas generate enough needed revenue from cancelled weddings and charity events?
Last summer Maine hotels brought in $802 million from June to September, 64% of their annual revenue. This year in June, Maine’s hotel room occupancy rate was about 30%, the fourth lowest in the country behind Hawaii, Washington, D.C. and Massachusetts.
WEAR THE DAMN MASK!
In Paramus, New Jersey, one of my favorite spots for the best cheeseburgers anywhere — The Fireplace, on Route 17 — has closed. A local newspaper said, “Over its six-plus decades of life, The Fireplace, born strictly as a burger and hot dog spot, has been where many New Jersey residents have gone for their first date or class reunions. It has a huge fan base that faithfully return —- with their children and their children’s children — to enjoy its burgers, steak sandwiches and the popular pickle bar.” No longer.
The Fireplace is not the only New Jersey eatery affected by COVID. Governor Phil Murphy cites “knucklehead behavior” by patrons at numerous bars and restaurants throughout the state who fail to follow social distancing guidelines and enforce the use of face masks.
WEAR THE DAMN MASK!
Because of COVID, our local summer stock theaters (the Ogunquit Playhouse and Vinegar Hill) are closed for the season. Return to Cinda (a woman’s consignment store in Kennebunk where I occasionally sold old clothes — even my mink coat!) shut its doors after decades in business.
Herb’s, a popular local garden center that featured everything from forsythia bushes to pound-and-a-half lobsters (plus oysters, roses and a slew of other miscellany), is gone. The manager was working 24/7 because he couldn’t get enough help to wait on impatient customers.
WEAR THE DAMN MASK!
The Maine Diner, a legendary landmark in Wells, and often the first place tourists stop to get a fresh lobster roll when they arrive in the Pinetree State, has added outdoor seating and interior plastic-enclosed booths. It’s now closed on Wednesdays and daily hours have been reduced. General Manager/Owner Jim O’Neill says, “There’s just not that much traffic. We’re making do, but business is way off.”
A mask alone will not thwart the virus. CDC Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield says, “We are not defenseless against COVID-19. Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus – particularly when used universally within a community setting. All Americans have a responsibility to protect themselves, their families, and their communities.”
I repeat: WEAR THE DAMN MASK!
