Emerald Isle COVID-19 Update

It’s mid April on the Crystal Coast but instead of welcoming hundreds of excited families to my fair city, Emerald Isle, NC, I am doing my best to follow the North Carolina Stay at Home orders. It was a beautiful, sunny spring week on the island. Our beach community is doing an outstanding job of staying at home and social distancing because our town and beach looks deserted, especially, and poignantly, for this time of year.

Ten days ago, the Bogue Banks beach towns of Atlantic Beach, Pine Knoll Shores and Emerald Isle have new proclamations requiring anyone who is just arriving and spent the previous night elsewhere to self-quarantine for 14 days. If you were planning to come stay in your island home, this order will mean that for 14 days you cannot leave your cottage or condo to go to the grocery store just for one example, but you could have groceries delivered to you. You may read the town proclamations here:

https://www.emeraldisle-nc.org/proclamation-enumerating-certain-prohibitions-restrictions-imposed-during-a-state-of-emergency-april-9-2020

We are anticipating the local ban on vacation rentals may be extended through the middle of May but the county has not issued that proclamation as of today. North Carolina may also extend the Stay at Home order past April 30 as there is a very compelling epidemiological study that discusses what are the likely impacts for lifting the Stay at Home order after April 30 versus extending the order into May. Virginia and Pennsylvania have already extended their Stay at Home orders through June 10. A link to the NC study may be found here:

https://governor.nc.gov/news/north-carolina-covid-19-modeling-shows-social-distancing-necessary-slow-spread-and-preserve

On a more positive note: Effective Saturday April 18, 2020, Emerald Isle lifted the temporary restriction on recreational water access to the Atlantic Ocean. Emerald Isle residents and property owners will be able to access the Atlantic Ocean for normal activities including swimming, surfing, kiting, kayaking, and fishing. Residents can continue to walk, jog, and sit on the beach strand. All beach goers must adhere to the current social distancing guidelines.