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Beebe doctor implores governor to address out-of-state visitors

March 29, 2020

Douglas Allen, medical director of Beebe Walk-in Care, issued this announcement prior to Gov. John Carney revising his State of Emergency declaration Sunday, March 29.

“I am a doctor who lives and works in Sussex County. We are seeing a great number of out-of-state visitors (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia among others) who are coming to their ‘second’ or ‘vacation’ homes to escape the pandemic which is widespread in their own states, especially the three states that are under order to stay at home. In increasing numbers they are coming in to be screened and tested at our walk-in centers, as they do not have a local medical provider. At some point they will become positive and will tax our local healthcare system which is not designed to take care of patients from other states.

“The governor needs to address this. These people are not coming to New Castle or Kent counties - just Sussex. The governor of Rhode Island did address this at the border of Rhode Island for New York people fleeing the epicenter in New York City. I feel we need to do something to discourage this selfish behavior. ‘Shelter at home’ does not mean drive to your beach vacation house to escape the COVID-19 virus - this just imports it into our local medical system.”

 

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