Locals plead with Sununu not to open campgrounds

3,000 new cases in Massachusetts April 23rd, 3,000! We are lucky in Carroll county with 30 cases....change now and cases will rise, we can count on that.

We are $120 ish miles from Boston but we are connected. We must follow their progress when thinking about ours.

Opening the campgrounds will prove deadly.

What Sununu and his team fail to recognize is that we are not talking about simply outdoor campgrounds. None of the vacationers or snowbirds that are coming to our state are planning on simply staying inside their outdoor campground boundaries. They are planning to come here to shop in our stores and to use our services. Ordinarily, this would be great. It would bring welcome dollars to our area which, after isolation, we sorely need. But the problem is that these are not ordinary times, and the vacationers and snowbirds are not just bringing themselves -- they will, in all likelihood, bring SARS-CoV2 with them. We have kept the virus at low, manageable numbers through isolation and good management practices. Can we still do that when our population goes up multiple times with people who are coming from areas with higher infection rates? Can Sununu guarantee that these people coming here from places like Florida, which has not been under isolation, aren't carrying the virus? No, he can't. And the problem is going to be that NH residents, who have been in isolation to slow down the disease, are at risk of being exposed. Should the vacationers, snowbirds, and residents get sick, what happens to our health system. North Conway's Memorial Hospital is excellent at trauma, because it handles a lot of accidents, but are we set up for Covid-19 quarantine wards? What is our PPE, ventilator and medical staff like? We don't even have readily available testing, yet you want us to handle this influx of people to save the economy. Shame on you. You should think of residents first.

I am 86 years old. I have multiple health problems. My primary care doctor told me I have a high Covid-19 mortality risk because of comorbidity, yet Gov Sununu has issued me a death sentence. The population in my town will go from 1200, to 10,000. This means my local grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and shops will have these 8,800 out-of-towners touching and handling goods, gas pumps, door knobs. When they get sick, they'll be in our hospitals with their limited number of beds. Thanks, Sununu, you've killed me.

While Safety is of the utmost importance here, I just think this needs to be looked at more locally and dependent upon the campground. There are several of us who live in one area for 6 mos or 7 mos and then we live in our second home which we pay taxes on as well. Yes it is in a campground, really not much different than an mobile home park, actually some campgrounds are much nicer than the mobile home parks. So do we shut them down to? Some of those "manufactured homes" are really close to each other. Do close condominium complexes which people live at because there doors are not 6 feet apart. Seriously do this with safety in mind and put the precautions in place this is not going away anytime soon. Continued efforts to close campgrounds should be locally at your level stop bringing every community into this.

Why is it ok for people that live in NH to work in Massachusetts sounds like a double standard. Seasonal campers bring what they need (groceries) and most live within an hour from home, so if they were to need medical they can go home for that and we would stay on our own sites. we are only there Friday and Saturday nights so there is no stress on your community. Please don’t forget we pay property taxes as well we should be able to use our property

I love how the most common comments are how they are not prepared to handle all these visitors and yet you are one of the biggest tourist destinations all year round. Your supermarkets and pharmacies seem to handle the skiing season and summer seasons quite well when it works for you! And don’t be so naive about out of stagers bringing it up there, I live on the border and watch thousands of NH registered vehicles travel in and out of Mass on a daily basis. Are you going to stop them as well?

I would like to start by saying I have read all the comments, especially those by the Fire Chief, and in these trying times, I would like to thank he, his department and every first responder for their efforts. As a retired police officer myself, I know well the risks you are all taking. Thank you.

With that said I read with great concern the movement to close campgrounds and I wonder if this has been thought through. I do understand the reasoning for transient campers, but for others like my wife and my self, this is our HOME.  For example, at our campground, 95% of the trailers there are seasonal. We support the town, shop there and spend our money there all summer long.  Now you want to keep campers away? I do understand the logic, however, if one were to extend that logic, then I certainly hope, in fairness, you would also exclude every single person in the affected towns who is NOT a resident of the town, i.e. all those who have second homes there.  That is the only fair way to do it. and that clearly is not practical. So why pick on people who spend half the year in the area simply because we live in a trailer?  That's hardly just.

Clearly, the compromise here is to allow seasonal campers only, with 14 day quarantine, no common facilities and social distancing.

I just don't understand why  it is that only campers are being singled out. Again, for many of us, these campers are our home, and for some, no where else to go for the summer. Please consider this..and be fair

Thank You

Robert Duffey

I also operate a campground in New Hampshire. And I am all about public safety myself . I have served 26 years as captain on our local fire department and EMT . And we are taking great precautions in our campground as to limit the number of people that can be on sites ; bathrooms ; visitors, coming in . Most of our campers come from N.H ! Less that 25 % come from other states . We As a campground support our local town in all our small businesses. And if we don’t support our local business we will lose our towns as we know it ! We can do this !

Coming from a background of a lifelong Rv'r, small business owner, first responder and health-care worker, this Is one of the worse decisions Sununu could make right now. Please take a look at the fact that LRGH and Northern NH hospital's have had to furlough quite a few employees. The first responders are already stretched thin. This influx of campers will ultimately bring illnesses and injuries to a hospital where there aren't health care workers there to take care of them. Believe me, I understand the strain on campgrounds. Please think about the strain it would be to watch someone struggle for breath due to COVID19 at a campground because there's a delay in first responders.

Feel free to open the campgrounds....when you can monitor every camper and guarantee they will adhere to all safety precautions and regulations. If that can't be managed, keep the campgrounds closed until the pandemic passes.

The last thing we need is people from away, contributing to a higher rate of infection. Dollars are more replaceable than people.

I feel the fear that people may have about campground opening. I also feel that people who are seasonal that quarantine for 14 days and follow the hand washing and mask and gloves should as the Governor stated be allowed to stay in their summer homes whether it be at a campground or condo or home. The lakes region means as much to us as our other homes and respect it we will.

Open air campgrounds are a safer alternative to staying in a hotel which is like vacationing on a cruise ship.

Massachusetts is the #3 state for coronavirus cases in the USA. Given that people are asymptomatic and can still spread the virus, it's foolish to encourage people from out of state (or even from Hillsborough or Rockingham Counties) to come here. Everybody please stay home!

As campground owners, I assure you we are taking this very seriously. Among other steps, at our resort, we are voluntarily limiting how many sites are available to book across the board, banning group bookings, and rescheduling/refunding short-term stays for out of state guests. There are many other policies we are enacting to further limit the impact while still staying open for camping.

That said, many of these suggestions by local officials are our of touch with the situation. For example, approximately 80% of our reservations are from New Hampshire residents. Also, it's not just young folks not taking this seriously - I routinely see old folks being just as stupid.

We have a few weeks before we really get into the season, it would be great is at the state or even local level, representatives form the camping industry as well as representative health officials were able to hammer out a middle ground we can all live with.

Again as an Owner - In the short-term Campgrounds fully open is a bad idea, but completely closing them now would decimate the long-term. Campgrounds are New Hampshire's second largest seasonal industry after only Skiing... does anyone want to take nearly half a billion dollars per year our of our economy for years to come?

It must be nice to work for the town and able to get paid every week. Let's not forget all these businesses that are shut down may not be able to pay their local taxes. Is the town going to discount the real estate taxes owed by businesses shut down. Are the residential taxpayers going to want to pick up the slack. It's all fine and nice to say to your tourist base to stay away but don't forget poverty kills. How much will the increase in drug abuse and alcoholism is going to increase your work load.

People need to act responsible. If you are sick, stay home, if you are at risk protect your self.

One thing that has NOT been thought through is that there are people that are seasonal at campgrounds and seasonal at their second homes for the summer should not be discriminated

against! We lived in North Conway for 19 years, moved to Florida, and every summer return to to Brownfield ME to enjoy the summer in our 37 foot camper. This is our home !

As a Vermonter I am ashamed of the attitudes I have been seeing from some northern New Englanders. These people are our neighbors, friends and in some cases family and we should accept and treat them as such. We are Vermonters, Mainers, and New Hampshire’s or whatever and are better than this. We are privileged to have the freedom to live in nature 24/7 while many others are not.

For all of you out there yelling that we should listen to science… Science has proven that being outside helps to defeat these viruses. Has anyone notice that during the summer the cases of flu and colds drop off? This is not only because of the heat, it is because people get outside and aren’t spending all their time closed in homes or classroom spreading sickness.

This is not a good idea as people from other states are not adhering to

the 14 day quarantine. I live inWolfeboro and rightfully so the Police Department Post signs upon entering town to quarantine for 14 days if visiting from other areas.

I live in an area where people have second homes and the MA and order states come and totally disregard this suggestion. They come and will stay a few days then leave and return.

If local residents voice an opinion the

non local people become hostile.

It doesn’t seem to work so why would opening campgrounds be a go idea. I vote NO!