It has been an interesting few days!

I am sure that most of you have been tuned in to the current COVID 19 situation occurring here and around the world. We find ourselves in a state of emergency on both the Federal and state levels. Schools are closing around the country for varying lengths of time and many businesses are asking their employees to work remotely from home or closing for a period of time. Our biggest concern as a nation is that we do not want to over-stress the medical system so that needed services are unable to be provided to the ill.

Here on Seabrook Island, your SIPOA board and staff have been looking at various avenues that we must use to protect our residents, visitors and staff. Since this COVID 19 emergency changes at such a rapid pace, adjustments will need to be made and communicated to all in a timely manner. So please be on the lookout for all SIPOA messages during this time. Our concern centers on the fact that most of our residents are in a high-risk population, age 60 and over, and that our population is well-traveled, many just returning from trips overseas or from other high-risk areas. So, our social responsibility is to promote maintaining a safe distance and do everything we can to ensure that our medical system is not overwhelmed.

Therefore, our first challenge will be to eliminate situations where residents, visitors and staff are unable to maintain a safe space. Some of the changes that we make will include closing SIPOA buildings and having our staff working remotely. But we also need to keep monitoring the current situation so that needed adjustments can be made and conveyed.

I would also like to ask that all property owners understand the decisions that are being made. We are not making them to inconvenience anyone but to make sure that we have as safe an environment as possible. No one will be as critical as me when this situation is over, and we look at what we could have done better. And if it is said that I was too cautious in my approach to the emergency, I will be able to live with that assessment.

As we make our way through this situation, please look out for our neighbors. Check to see if they are OK. Maybe they just need a phone call or just know that someone is concerned. And finally, let me leave you with these words from Thomas Merton. "You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith, and hope."

 

Stay Safe! Dan Kortvelesy

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Do you have questions about COVID-19?

Click here to see the overview and details of the CDC Webinar: 

Answering 20 Questions about COVID-19