Busy weekend bodes well for isle tourism
SOCIAL DISTANCING: Despite reminders, safety guidelines not always followed by crowds
GALVESTON — For Galveston business owners, the Memorial Day weekend crowds offered hope that, despite the coronavirus, the season will still be a profitable one.
Billy Ray Hayes, a local street artist, weaves and sells roses, crosses and grasshoppers out of palm leaves. He’s sat at the same bench along the seawall for 11 years with his dog Tramp Stamp.
On Sunday, as tourists flocked to the beach after being cooped up because of the coronavirus, he said he was having a good sales day. “It’s real busy out here,” he said.
Galveston’s Convention & Visitors Bureau estimates 500,000 people are expected to visit Galveston over the Memorial Day weekend.
Authorities around the nation were keeping a close watch on beaches and other holiday gathering spots. Hundreds of people flocked to a popular Florida beach boardwalk and were seen partying and dancing despite social distancing restrictions imposed by the state, authorities said Sunday.
After weeks of restrictions meant to fight the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, every state is in some stage of reopening. Many, including Texas, have
failed to meet U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for a safe return to public life.
Under the second phase of Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to reopen Texas, restaurants may operate at 50 percent capacity and bars at 25 percent capacity.
As of Sunday, there have been 752 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Galveston County, with 262 people currently ill. The statewide total went from 55,221 to 55,953 on Sunday.
Michael Woody, chief tourism officer for Galveston’s Convention & Visitors Bureau, told the Chronicle that market research indicates people are looking for outdoor and beach experiences for vacations because it is easier to socially distance in open spaces. The bureau considers the Galveston “drive market” to be anyone within 300 miles of the island.
One of the country’s leading virus experts, Deborah Birx, the director of President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force, warned that even in the open air, physical distancing and, when in close proximity, face coverings are essential.
“Out of respect for each other, as Americans that care for each other, we need to be wearing masks in public when we cannot social distance,” Birx said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Despite those warnings, tourists packed the beaches of Galveston Island.
It looked like a typical Memorial Day weekend at the beach, save for the occasional mask, usually worn by by a worker at the cabana rental stands or patrolling the beach.
Advised, not enforced
At The Spot, a large patio restaurant along the seawall, tables were placed about 6 feet apart. Staff wore masks and gloves.
Despite signs advising costumers to stand 6 feet apart and tape on the ground, the line to get in turned into a crowded blob.
Montel and Tie Weber, from New Orleans, ate at The Spot with their two kids. It was the first time the family ventured to a restaurant since the coronavirus outbreak began.
“It’s nice to get out of the house and travel again,” Tie Weber said. “But we’re being cautious. At The Spot we ate outside where the tables were 6 feet apart. That felt like the safest option.”
Many Galveston tourist attractions remained closed for the weekend.
The rides at the Pleasure Pier — the Galaxy Wheel, Iron Shark roller coaster, Texas Star Flyer and the Gulf Glider carousel — were all out of commission.
The live music stage sat empty while music blared over the speakers.
The wait for a table at Bubba Gump’s at the Pleasure Pier crept up Sunday to over an hour at midafternoon. People lined up at the drink stand, where a bartender who sometimes wore a mask poured frozen margaritas.
There was no social distancing on the duck boat tours, the sidewalks or the bike trolleys.
The beach allowed room for people to spread out. Groups sat roughly 6 feet apart, though social distancing varied by party.
A plane flew a banner reading “6 FT SAVES LIVES,” reminding the crowds to practice social distancing. Another plane flew a “Make America Great Again” banner.
Public health experts have predicted that, by late fall, the United States could be in the grip of a second wave of infections, but President Donald Trump said last week that the country, and the economy, would stay open in any event.
Locals struggling
Nobel Damron, 28, worked as a line cook at Shark Shack, but in April the restaurant went down to two cooks per shift. He said he hopes business will pick up with the start of tourist season.
“If you’re already struggling to make ends meet, you won’t make it through a bad season,” Damron said.
Galveston’s tourism economy supports over 11,000 jobs and brings in crucial sales tax revenue for the state.
“It hurt all of us who make a living here, from the restaurant owners to the store clerks to people like me out here making art,” Hayes, the street artist, said while fashioning a palm leaf rose.