4 NJ lighthouses you can tour virtually
Why this travel reporter is hesitant to give out advice right now
Every morning, the emails appear like clockwork. “I’m traveling to South Dakota. Do you know if I have to quarantine when I get there?” Sometimes there are only a couple with questions that I can easily answer. “My boyfriend wants to come visit from London. Will he be allowed in the country?” Sometimes these messages unexpectedly shatter my the heart. “My father passed away. If I travel from overseas will I have to quarantine or can I be with my family?” Everyone who writes hopes I’ll help cut through the noise. More than a few have asked me to weigh in to settle an argument among family members. “Melissa, is it safe to travel?” I understand why. As states have reopened, it has been easy to drop our guard and feel like maybe the pandemic is over. It is not over, and the information out there is confusing. Sometimes it is simply because scientists are learning something new about the virus every day. Sometimes it is because someone has politicized the issue. Then there’s the lack of clear direction from our state government.
The lung-searing, leg-toning practice of climbing hundreds of stairs to reach the top of a lighthouse and enjoy a view of New Jersey’s gorgeous coast is a rite of passage. But this year, we may not be able to hoof it to the tops of our favorite lighthouses, thanks to a certain global pandemic. Some lighthouses, however, are offering virtual tours and live cameras, so you can pay them a visit from the comfort of your own home.
Barnegat Lighthouse
“Ol’ Barney” is the nickname for the impressive, 172-foot lighthouse that is a landmark on Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse, completed in 1858, has 217 steps. It was decommissioned as a
The Cape May Lighthouse is offering virtual tours.
Gov. Doug Ducey’s stay-at-home order expired May 15 and his only travel guidance — a quarantine order for those arriving from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut — expired with it. His office has provided no new travel guidelines even as other states took action against those arriving from Arizona while our COVID-19 numbers spike. Hotels and resorts reopened and advertised summer specials while Ducey urged Arizonans to stay home.
All of this has created a storm of anxiety for those who want to see a family member or take a summer break and are trying to sort through the conflicting messages.
Here’s why it’s so difficult, even for a travel reporter, to give a straight answer about whether you should travel right now.
Scientists say stay home
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Department of State both urge against nonessential travel. If you want a simple answer from scientists, the answer is stay home.
We’re all desperate for an escape
My emails prove it every day: After months of stay at home and social distancing, we miss our friends and family.
We want to get away from the four walls. Some of us have family emergencies that require us to travel.
I get it. I miss travel too. I have had dreams in which I’m boarding a plane.
But we also have to be very thoughtful about how we consider traveling so we don’t put other people in danger.
Arizona is a coronavirus hot spot
We know that Arizona is a nationwide leader in the rate of coronavirus infection right now. As of July 13, there were 80,780 positive cases and 1,101 deaths from the virus in Maricopa County alone.
We know there is mass community spread of the virus and that testing has lagged. We know you can have the virus and be asymptomatic but still pass it to others.
You have to take responsibility that, as an Arizonan, you live in a place where the virus is unchecked and you could pose a risk to others without knowing it. That’s why New York and other states require those arriving from Arizona to quarantine.
At the bare minimum, you should be wearing a mask and maintaining social distance to keep from spreading the virus.
Travel puts you at greater risk
Everyone needs to evaluate their own health and the risk contracting the virus could pose to them.
Every scientist I have spoken with, from those advising on whether to fly to those advising our local counties, have said travel puts you at more risk. You’re exposing yourself to variables that you can’t control. Every touch point outside your household increases your risk of contracting the virus.
Travel spreads coronavirus
Travel also spreads the virus it to other communities. It’s one of the few things we know for sure. COVID-19 got to the United States by people flying from overseas, from hot spots such as Italy and China.
The question you must answer is whether you want to be the person who travels from a well documented hot spot and knowingly or unknowingly spreads the virus to a community that may not be adequately equipped to handle an outbreak.
That is the biggest question I want you to evaluate as an Arizonan. We know we’re a hot spot. Maricopa County has a good health care system that is near its critical-care capacity right now. What do you think an outbreak might do to a smaller community that doesn’t have the ICU beds or ventilators we do? You really need to weigh the ethics of that before you travel.
Yet tourism losses are devastating
On the flip side, many communities and industries are hurting because tourism has collapsed during the pandemic. Tourism is a significant revenue source for many communities.
And as I remind you what scientists say, I also know that such communities really need your tourist dollars right now. Employees have been furloughed and laid off. They’re experiencing economic losses. Many are worried about losing health insurance for themselves and their families at this critical time.
Yet, these servers and sales associates and other front-line workers also are at great risk of contracting the virus. Could they spread it to their families and perhaps to a loved one with an underlying health condition? If they are lucky enough to have insurance, will deductibles and out-of-pocket costs them?
So what should you do?
All of these things make it tough to answer a simple question. You’ll need to evaluate your own ethics, health situation and reasons for travel to decide what you are comfortable doing.
If you do decide to travel, please be kind and respectful to the communities you visit. Do simple things like wear your mask and respect their rules whether you agree with them or not. You are a guest there.
And if you can’t be kind to the people who are doing their best to welcome you into their hometowns, show you hospitality and enforce standards meant to keep you safe (that they had no role in crafting), then you should just stay home.
melissa.yeager@azcentral.com