While you may keep in touch with Highlands happenings through the newspaper, the COVID 19 scare is alive and well here, as it is anywhere else. As a local Commissioner, I'd like to bring you up to speed on the town's stance.
While many second homeowners and out-of-town folks continue to flock here because of the false sense of safety, it is the town's desire to limit this or even eliminate this. It is in the best interest of everyone to stay in the area where your primary home is. This is said as a safety measure although some are taking it personal, as locals are not welcoming. This unfortunately has led some locals resenting those from other areas that are currently here and the perception that these same people are bringing the virus to Highlands. True or not, that's unfortunate. Everything in Highlands is being overwhelmed right now, the hospital is seeing increased traffic but still business as usual. If this virus turns out to be as bad as some experts think, our hospital can't care for the 1000 local residents, let alone everyone else that's here right now. The last thing anyone wants, is to turn someone away because there isn't anything we can do for them. It's created a dangerous situation and the town is considering ways to deal with it. We already shut down short term rentals and hotels. Restaurants, bars etc have been closed by the Governor. In a State of Emergency the Town is able to enact any restriction they feel is necessary to protect people, for the most part. The town board is having another 4PM emergency meeting today to discuss further action. Again, given the aging population that resides here, the town feels that this could be a perfect storm. While it may be an over-reaction, we certainly don't want to look back on it and say we didn't do enough. I'll be sure to post other measures the town is taking but for now, this is the general consensus of the Town Board and Mayor. Stay tuned!