Dear Editor
So the Blowing Rock Civic Association has asked the Watauga County Commission to cancel the quarantine order for seasonal homeowners who want to return to Blowing Rock without having to endure the 14-day quarantine. Who does the BRCA represent, the seasonal homeowners or the residents of Blowing Rock? As far as I know, the “residents” have been doing an excellent job of staying home, putting on masks when shopping, keeping a safe distance, and generally doing whatever possible to avoid catching or passing on this disease to others. Furthermore, none of our friends who are seasonal residents have expressed concern about having to quarantine once they get back. They see it as a reasonable precaution that protects others as well as themselves. Speaking as one of the residents, I’d like to see all of us respect those rules, and continue to respect them as long as the threat remains. As you may have noticed, this county — with a large university, a major international relief organization that has gone wherever they are needed, and a steady stream of tourists visiting the area — has done very well with an almost month-long record of eight cases and no deaths throughout a period while other areas just a few miles away aren’t even close to their peak of cases and deaths. We also have an excellent health care organization in our county that is doing its best to protect and care for all of us. We owe it to those professionals to keep the number of cases as low as possible.
As far as I know, these seasonal residents will be returning from hotspots in the south where the rate of the virus is still increasing. I personally don’t see why bringing some groceries with them and staying in their homes for 14 days is such an imposition. Enjoy the fresh air from your deck and from your own neighborhood. You can order grocery and takeout deliveries to your home. You should all do what you can to maintain the low level of infection here. After all, if we do our share, we will stand out as an area where people might want to buy homes and visit because of our isolation, low infection rate, and readiness to do what we can to minimize passing on this horrible virus to our residents and visitors. I suggest the BRCA back off and respect all of our residents rather than just our seasonal ones.
Joe Amoroso, Blowing Rock