OCEAN CITY — Resort and county officials this week took further steps to limit out-of-town guests and emphasize the “stay at home” message including extending the beach and Boardwalk closure and prohibiting new hotel, motel and other short-term rentals in town until at least April 30.
Last Sunday, the Mayor and Council extended the executive order closing the beach and Boardwalk, which had been in place since March 22, from April 15 to April 30. In addition, the executive order issued last Sunday closed the Inlet lot until at least April 30.
On Tuesday, resort officials continued to take drastic actions to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus including a new emergency declaration prohibiting hotels, motel, condominiums and other short-term accommodations from accepting any new reservations from anyone except those deemed essential lodgers. The prohibition on new short-term rentals in nearly all of their forms also extends to April 30.
The latest emergency declarations are aimed at reinforcing the town’s consistent strong message advising out-of-town visitors to stay away from Ocean City until further notice until the pandemic eases and some semblance of normalcy returns. Following Sunday’s hours-long closed session that resulted in extending the beach and Boardwalk closures, Mayor Rick Meehan said many have complied with the directives to simply stay home and not visit the resort area and that is helping achieve the desired results.
However, many more are ignoring the directives and are still heading to Ocean City. Anecdotally, there was no shortage of license plates in town all last weekend from New York, New Jersey and other areas.
“We’ve seen some impact with regards to people heeding the directives to just stay away for now and there is evidence of fewer cars on the road and fewer cars in parking lots,” he said. “Still, there are many that aren’t heeding the warnings. Again, we are asking people to please not come to Ocean City at this time. We can’t emphasize that enough. If we all work together and not lose all of the ground we’ve gained, hopefully we can get our season up and going sooner rather than later.”
Again, Meehan said most local residents are following Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s directives to stay at home when possible, limit travel and continue to practice social distancing. However, Ocean City, particularly on weekends, continues to see an influx of out-of-town visitors.
To that end, on Tuesday following another closed session, the Mayor and Council announced the next logical progression in the effort to limit travel and urge out-of-town visitors to avoid Ocean City during the pandemic. The executive order, made effective immediately after it was signed on Tuesday, restricts short-term accommodations for hotel and rentals to essential lodgers only through April 30.
The prohibition on accepting new reservations through at least April 30 includes, but is not limited to, hotels, motels, condo-hotels and all other rental properties including private renters, management companies, homeowners’ associations and other online rental platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO, for example.
“These are unprecedented actions because these are unprecedented times,” said Meehan on Tuesday. “This is incredibly difficult time for everyone, but the only way we can stop the spread of this virus is to work together. Visitors should not visit Ocean City at this time, but are encouraged to reschedule or plan for future visits when this health crisis passes.”
According to Tuesday’s emergency declaration, hotel, motels and other lodging establishments shall not accept new reservations for persons other than essential lodgers. The list of essential lodgers is considerable and includes healthcare professionals and law enforcement personnel, National Guard members or state and federal government employees, journalists or others responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The list also includes full-time residents of the town of Ocean City who, for any reason, are temporarily unable to reside in their primary residential homes. The latter applies to local residents displaced by exigent circumstances such as a fire or flood at their primary residence. It also includes those seeking shelter in hotels or other accommodations due to domestic violence situations.
“These exceptions are meant to ensure that we have a place for individuals who must be in Ocean City because they are helping in this emergency, or those who have nowhere else to go, such as domestic-violence victims or those who had to vacate their homes unexpectedly,” said Meehan. “Voluntary compliance is our goal, but we will enforce this to the full extent if it’s not obeyed. This health crisis is deadly and the only way for all of us to stay healthy is to stay home.”
On Wednesday, the Worcester County Commissioners followed Ocean City’s lead on non-essential, short-term rentals.
The latest steps, outlined in the county’s new emergency declaration, restrict short-term accommodations for hotels and rentals to essential lodgers. This includes but is not limited to hotels, motels, condo-hotels, rental properties, inclusive of private renters or management companies and HOAs, Airbnb, VRBO style lodging, and other overnight accommodations.
“We recognize that the actions we are taking here today are unprecedented, in fact many of us have never seen or experienced such restrictions before in our lifetimes,” Commission President Joe Mitrecic said. “But these measures are meant to protect the public health by stopping the spread of COVID-19. These measures will, ultimately, save lives. We truly look forward to a day in the not too distant future when we can once again roll out the welcome mat and get back to the business of being a world-class destination that attracts residents and visitors from across the globe. But, today is not that day.”
As far as enforcement, Mitrecic added, “Our goal is to elicit voluntary compliance with the county’s latest emergency declaration. However, due to the deadly nature of this health crisis, in instances where these directives are not obeyed, we are prepared to fully enforce this action.”
