HEAD UP NORTH, WHERE TOURISM
MEANS FISHING, BOATING AND CABIN
SEASON.
ALONG WITH THOSE TOURISM DOLLARS
ALSO COMES AN INCREASED RISK FOR
A COVID-19 OUTBREAK IN AN AREA
LARGELY SPARED SO FAR.
IN THE NORTHWOODS, MEDICAL
FACILITIES ARE NOT AS
WELL-EQUIPPED TO HANDLE THE
SURGE WHILE ALSO DEALING WITH
THE NEEDS OF ITS ELDERLY
POPULATION.
WITH THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND IN
THE REAR VIEW MIRROR, WHAT WAS
LEARNED MOVING FORWARD?
KRYSTAL WESTFAHL IS THE DIRECTOR
OF THE MINOCQUA CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO WHAT WAS MEMORIAL WEEKEND
LIKE?
WAS IT BUSY?
>> SURPRISINGLY, YES.
WE ACTUALLY WERE A LITTLE TAKEN
ABACK BY HOW BUSY IT ACTUALLY
WAS.
WE KNEW THAT FOLKS WERE LOOKING
TO COME HERE EARLY ON WHEN THE
"SAFER AT HOME" ORDERS WERE PUT
IN PLACE FROM ILLINOIS AND
WISCONSIN.
WE HAD SEEN A RUSH OF FOLKS
COMING UP, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE
SECOND HOME OWNERS.
WE WERE NOT TRACKING LEISURE
TRAVEL QUITE AS CLOSELY.
WE KNEW WE WERE HAVING SECOND
HOME OWNERS COMING UP.
RESORTS, THEY WERE STILL GOING
STRONG.
THEY COULD SOCIALLY DISTANCE.
BUT LEISURE TRAVEL ACTUALLY
SPIKED.
AND WE HAD ON AVERAGE PRETTY
CLOSE TO A NORMAL MEMORIAL DAY
WEEKEND UP HERE.
>> WOW.
THAT IS AMAZING TO HEAR.
WHAT STEPS ARE BUSINESS DOING TO
STAY SAFE FOR EMPLOYEES AND
CUSTOMERS AS WELL?
>> WELL, WE CERTAINLY HAVE A
MIXED BAG UP HERE.
WITH THE SUPREME COURT RULING
COMING SO CLOSE TO MEMORIAL DAY
WEEKEND, SOME OF OUR BUSINESSES
WERE COMPLETELY UNPREPARED FOR
OPENING AS THEY NEEDED TO BE.
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
FOR THEMSELVES, EMPLOYEES,
VISITORS WERE A SCARCITY WITHIN
OUR SMALL BUSINESSES.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING TWO OR
THREE EMPLOYEES PER RETAIL SHOP,
YOU KNOW, AND SMALL, TIGHT
QUARTERS.
THESE ARE OLD BUSINESSES THAT
HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG
TIME, OLD BUILDING STRUCTURES.
SO SOCIAL DISTANCING WAS
SOMETHING THAT WE WERE ALL
WORKING THROUGH KIND OF ON THE
FLY.
I WOULD SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, IT
WAS SPLIT ALMOST BY THIRDS WITH
PEOPLE THAT WERE NOT OPENING
BECAUSE THEY JUST WEREN'T READY.
THOSE THAT WERE GOING TO BE
OPEN, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY
HAD ALREADY SORT OF BEEN
PREPARING FOR THIS.
AND THEN, THIRDLY, WE HAD SOME
BUSINESSES THAT WERE JUST ABLE
TO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF MAKE IT
WORK.
SO IT WAS ALL ACROSS THE BOARD.
WE WERE JUST REALLY ENCOURAGING
FOLKS TO CALL AHEAD, MAKE SURE
THAT THE BUSINESS THEY WERE
GOING TO BE GOING TO WAS OPEN
AND ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE WHAT
THEY NEEDED.
>> HOW WERE ANY OF THE
RESTRICTIONS BEING MET BY THE
VISITORS WHO WERE COMING INTO
TOWN?
>> THAT IS ALSO A MIXED BAG.
WE NOTICED ON AVERAGE IN THE
NORTHWOODS AS A WHOLE, NOT JUST
IN THE MINOCQUA-ARBOR
VITA-WOODRUFF AREA I SUPPORT,
BUT BOULDER JUNCTION,
PRESQUE ISLE, YOU A THE WAY UP
TO THE BORDER, WE WERE SEEING
BUSINESSES REPORTING, YOU KNOW,
FOLKS NOT SOCIAL DISTANCING, NO
MASKS BEING WORN TO THE OTHER
EXTREME, WHERE PEOPLE WERE JUST
COMING UP AND STAYING IN THEIR
RESORT, NOT LEAVING THE PLACE
THAT THEY WERE COMING TO VISIT.
SO, AGAIN, IT WAS A MATTER OF
EXTREMES THROUGH THE WEEKEND
BETWEEN BUSINESSES AND VISITORS.
A LOT OF FOLKS DIDN'T KNOW QUITE
WHAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE
DOING AT THIS POINT, I THINK.
>> SO IS THERE A CERTAIN AMOUNT
OF TREPIDATION ON THE PART OF
THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AS TOURISTS
FLOCK BACK INTO THE AREA OR IS
THIS EXACTLY WHAT BUSINESSES
HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR?
>> AGAIN, IT'S A MATTER OF
EXTREMES.
WE DO HAVE A LOT OF LOCALS THAT
ARE LETTING US KNOW DAILY THAT
THEY ARE NERVOUS ABOUT THIS.
WE DO HAVE A RURAL HOSPITAL
SYSTEM, AND WE KNOW CERTAINLY AN
OLDER POPULATION, YOU KNOW, PER
CAPITA.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT WITH
WORRIED EYES.
BUT I'M THINKING THAT THE PEOPLE
THAT ARE ABLE TO TAKE THE STEPS
TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE SAFE
ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE
SAFE.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE HAD A
LITTLE BIT OF A-- YOU KNOW,
A CLASH, I WOULD SAY, BETWEEN
LOCALS AND TOURISM AND WHAT
THEY'RE LOOKING TO THE TOURISTS
TO DO ON A LOCAL STANDPOINT AND
THE TOURISTS THINKING THAT THIS
IS THE SAME VACATION THEY'VE
ALWAYS EXPERIENCED AND THEY WANT
TO CONTINUE TO COME UP TO THE
NORTHWOODS AND CONTINUE THAT
SAME EXPERIENCE.
FROM ONEIDA COUNTY STANDPOINT,
MULTIPLE CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE,
PRIOR TO MEMORIAL WEEKEND WE
ACTUALLY PUT TOGETHER A PR PIECE
TO BE PLAYED ON THE LOCAL NEWS
TO TALK ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT
EVERYBODY IS PERSONALLY
RESPONSIBLE AND TO BE NICE.
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT
ARE AFRAID RIGHT NOW.
AND WE WANT EVERYONE TO BE NICE
TO ONE ANOTHER.
THAT'S WHAT WE PRIDE OURSELVES
ON HERE IN THE NORTHWOODS.
>> IN THE ABSENCE OF STATEWIDE
"SAFER AT HOME" RULES, SPOKE
ABOUT BUSINESSES HAVING TO KIND
OF SCRAMBLE WHEN THAT ENDED SO
SOON BEFORE MEMORIAL DAY.
DO YOU WISH THERE WERE FIRM KIND
OF LOCAL ORDERS THAT WOULD GIVE
GUIDANCE?
>> I THINK WE DO HAVE LOCAL
ORDERS THAT GIVE GUIDANCE.
I THINK THE BIGGER ISSUE IS THAT
IF PEOPLE AREN'T FOLLOWING THOSE
GUIDELINES, THERE ARE NO
REPERCUSSIONS.
SO THEY ARE JUST GUIDELINES.
SO BUSINESSES CAN FOLLOW THOSE
OR THEY MAY NOT.
>> WHAT LESSONS WERE LEARNED
FROM THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND?
I KNOW THAT SOME TOURIST SPOTS
IN THE STATE ARE KIND OF
RETHINKING SOME OF THEIR
DISTANCING METHODS.
>> YEAH.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE
ACTUALLY DISCUSSING TODAY
THROUGH A COUNTY-WIDE PHONE CALL
WITH OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES TO
FIND ARE OUT WHAT WERE THE
THINGS THAT THEY LEARNED FROM
THEIR EXPERIENCE AND HOW THEY'RE
GOING TO DO BETTER WITH THE NEXT
BIG RUSH.
OF COURSE, THAT WILL BE COMING
UP FAIRLY SOON WITH 4TH OF
JULY HOLIDAY WEEKEND AND WEEK.
THAT IS REALLY KIND OF OUR NEXT
BIG BENCHMARK.
WE CERTAINLY SEE TOURISM
THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE COURSE OF
THE SUMMER.
MEMORIAL REALLY KICKS IT OFF.
I WOULD SAY THE OPENING FISHING
WEEKEND REALLY KICKS OFF TOURISM
IN THE NORTHWOODS.
BUT WE'RE WANTING TO MAKE SURE
WE HAVE THE STEPS IN PLACE AND
THE GUIDANCE TO GIVE TO OUR
BUSINESSES.
BUT IT'S ALL OF US WORKING
TOGETHER.
WE AS CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND
AS LEADERS OF OUR COMMUNITIES,
WE DON'T HAVE ALL OF THE ANSWERS
NOW, EITHER.
WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.
WE'VE HEARD THAT ENOUGH AND IT'S
VERY TRUE.
SO WE'RE LOOKING TO LEARN FROM
ONE ANOTHER AND MAKE THOSE BEST
PRACTICES.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WELL, WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR
TIME ON THIS AND WE HOPE THAT
YOU HAVE A SUCCESSFUL AND SAFE
SUMMER.
KRYSTAL WESTFAHL, THANKS VERY
MUCH.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.