Small counties in Idaho, Florida and North Carolina, dependent on tourists, are now telling visitors to stay away as fears continue to mount over the coronavirus outbreak.
And BuzzFeed News reports some of the counties are even setting up roadblocks to stop visitors from getting in – unless they have evidence of a home, job or other reason from entering.
It said police in Dare County, North Carolina, are blocking visitors from entering the coastal beach community even if they own vacation homes there.
“We have basically two roads leading in and have deputies stationed at checkpoints,” Dorothy Hester, a spokesperson for Dare County, told BuzzFeed News.
And Bobby Outten, Dare County manager added: “Many of our visitors come from New York and Virginia.”
He noted that Outer Banks Hospital — the only hospital there — has just 20 beds and no intensive care unit.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel noted the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office announced that the Florida Keys are closed to all tourists and visitors because of the coronavirus. The county, which has only 60,000 residents, received 5.1 million visitors in 2018, according to the newspaper, which cited an economic study.
The county officials are restricting travel coming into the Keys, according to NBC 6.
Meanwhile, the Times-News reported one of Idaho’s top tourist areas is asking visitors to stay out.
Gov. Brad Little, issued an isolation order for Blaine County, known for its skiing, citing the first case in the state of community transmission.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.