Ann Cosgrove watches the Rev. John Sampson during the Keene Valley Congregational Church’s online service Sunday, March 29 from her home. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

Mountain resort communities with large seasonal resident populations have among the highest per-capita cases of COVID-19 in the United States; communities like Sun Valley, Idaho, Park City, Utah, and Vail, Colorado as people abandon their urban homes for the expected safety of their second-home communities.

The difficulty is that they may unwittingly bring the disease with them as their “feeling fine” is no indicator if they can spread the disease or not. According to a recent report in the journal Science, for every confirmed case, there are most likely five to ten people living with an undetected infection that they can spread to others.

Fortunately for our region, the governor’s office shut down attractive venues like Whiteface and Gore, lessening people’s desire to come, and the DEC is urging outdoor enthusiasts to hike near their home communities.

Still, residents are concerned as the Adirondacks has one of the highest per-capita rates of senior citizens, the demographic most vulnerable. Our health systems could be quickly overwhelmed id the virus takes root. Another concern is the economic hit local businesses, their employees, and those in the “gig” economy are taking.

Many businesses have closed outright. In Keene, only two businesses, McDonough’s Valley Hardware and Stewart’s, plus the post office in Keene, allow walk-in customers. Another, the Valley Grocery store, allowed walk-ins, but that ended this past weekend when they, like so many other businesses, decided to switch to either takeout or people calling in their orders.

Keene Valley Fire Chief Rusty Hall (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“During these difficult and unprecedented times, the Valley Gro has made the decision to transition to phone orders only,” announced Diana House on behalf of owner Carol Hall Reed and the Valley Gro staff. “With so many uncertainties regarding the coronavirus we feel that to ensure the health and safety of our customers and ourselves, we need reluctantly to take this step. Starting Monday, March 30, the lights will be on, but the door will be locked.”

House went on to urge people to call in their orders, which can be picked up at a side door and then either charged to their account or paid for upon arrival.

Old Mountain Coffee is open for walk-ups or call-ins, though orders are either made and or delivered through a window. They ask people to think of them as a food cart where they are in the inside and their customers on the outside. They said they serve nearly the full range of their menu items and specialty coffees and teas. Over at the Ausable Inn, they also do takeout, plus their liquor store, located in a separate building, is open.

“Were doing OK,” said Elle Wadsworth. “I advised all my employees to apply for unemployment. We are still open doing takeout. Normally in April, we close up for our spring cleaning. There has been quite a community-wide demand for us to stay open, so we plan to do that for at least the next two weeks. Then we will need at least a week to deep clean the equipment. Last night we did 25 pizzas and 20 other meals. It’s just my husband and myself, but the community has been so supportive; they’ve been giving extra-large tips. We’ve made a little jar to hold them for the employees.”

Anne Hurd is thrilled that Stewart’s is open, not only for their gas and last-minute items but as a place to purchase her daily newspapers. “That Stewart’s is open is huge,” said Hurd. “It’s the only gas station. And, of course, the Valley Grocery and the Hardware being open is phenomenal.”

Valerie McDonough at the Valley Hardware (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“The virus has slowed business down big time,” said Valerie McDonough at the Valley Hardware. “We try to be welcoming as we remind people to keep their distances while in the store. People call in, charge stuff to their credit cards or accounts, and we put it outside the door for them. We try to accommodate wherever and however we can. These are tough times, and hopefully, they’ll be over soon. The morale of the staff is pretty good. Paula is quarantined over at her house because she has some lung issues. Overall, I think we’re doing OK. My driving the school bus, of course, has come to a complete stop.”

As McDonough’s is a primary nexus for the community, as are Stewart’s and the Valley Gro, Valerie is aware that many locals are scared and anxious about their health and the health of others. She said people are very glad that they and the Valley Gro are still open.

“They hope we can get through this health challenge with their lives, jobs and character of the community intact,” she said.

Keene Valley Fire Chief Rusty Hall said Keene’s two volunteer fire departments are as ready as they can be. He said his department has gone through advanced training on how to safely respond to a major health outbreak, something they usually don’t have to be concerned about. At this point, they have plenty of protective gear, but if the community becomes overwhelmed, they will have a need as outfitting multiple people can use up supplies quickly.

“We are sheltering in place like everyone else and only coming out when necessary,” said Hall. “Other than that, it’s business as usual for the fire department. We’re dreading the first opportunity, which is controversial I’m sure, to assist some hiker who decides to come up and recreate here without thinking of the consequences to others. I feel that they should stay at home. It’s nationwide. Florida is asking New Yorkers to go home. They are stopping people in Rhode Island with a New York license plate. It’s not being racist, or xenophobic; it’s using common sense. It’s just that we all have to do our part to help keep people safe.”

Also open is the Keene Valley Congregational Church, though now all meetings and services are online through Zoom. The psalms and responsive readings are posted so people can participate from home, prayers for others are texted in, and Pastor John leads to service from the church while worship assistants from their home.

One outcome is attendance has shot up as now seasonal residents and anyone else can attend from wherever they’re located. In Sunday’s service, Pastor John said that we will never be able go back to just the way it was before the outbreak, but going forward, we’re learning how to open the church and services to more people.