Coronavirus got you down? Bradenton residents and visitors are taking it in stride

Hurricane savvy Floridians are nothing if not resilient and appear to take a “when it’s time to worry, we’ll worry and not before” attitude when it comes to emergencies. The novel coronavirus seems to be no exception.

The one exception?

“I don’t understand this toilet paper issue,” said Lori Davis as she caught some sun Saturday on Anna Maria Island.

“But you can live without toilet paper,” Davis’ husband Tommy said. “Besides, all the hotels have toilet paper and hand sanitizers so there won’t be a vacant room around for miles.”

The couple is originally from Florida and moved to Georgia, but still vacation in their home state. The only vacation disruption in their plans due to the coronavirus was the cancellation of Major League Baseball’s spring training.

“That was heartbreaking,” said Julie Davis, who is a big Atlanta Braves fan who had plans to see the Braves play in North Port.

The Davises,, like many, are taking things in stride and understand why everyone is acting iwith an abundance of caution.

“Caution is the key word,” Tommy Davis said. “People need to be cautious, especially if you are sick or have a weak immune system, then the caution needs to be intensified.”

Canada is requiring self quarantines for all citizens returning from vacations

Leonard and Julie Wright are well into their vacation from Canada and arrived in Florida weeks before Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife tested positive for the coronavirus.

The news back home isn’t good, they said.

Leonard Wright said he heard from his daughter in Ontario that besides a shortage of toilet paper and hand sanitizers, the food hoarding has begun. Wright also has been informed that when he returns home they will be required to self-quarantine for two weeks and that the government is making it mandatory for all Canadians returning from vacations, regardless of where they went.

Still, they could do nothing but smile as they sat under sun umbrellas looking out at the blue water of the Gulf of Mexico. They also were able to catch a couple of Toronto Blue Jays games before the cancellation of Spring Training. The only disruption for them is the mandatory quarantine so the couple plan to cut their vacation a week short, but they don’t mind.

“They should have started sooner,” Julie Wright said, of the recent actions to act with caution.

Locals say, don’t worry, be happy, but be cautious

Ed Straight, co-owner of Wildlife Inc. in Bradenton Beach, knows a thing or two about emergencies. Before a long stint as city commissioner, Straight served in Manatee County emergency operations for years, including one year as chief and several as a paramedic.

Straight was out Saturday at one of the last events that wasn’t canceled — the arts and crafts fair at Holmes Beach, which continues Sunday. The event was a relief for many out-of-town vendors who saw their events canceled and were able to get space this weekend.

“People must be careful, but not paranoid,” Straight said, while noting they will sanitize their booth often and handle all cash with gloves. “We’ll see what happens with this because no one knows for sure how fast this will spread.”

As far as all the recent precautionary actions, Straight said it’s a good idea.

“I think it is,” he said. “We used to have a saying in emergency operations to always take the course of least regret. Even if you end up being wrong and get people upset, the course of least regret is always going to be to keep people safe and save lives.”

No shortage of people on the roads

Traffic to Anna Maria Island was heavy around 8 a.m. and by 10:30 a.m. it was bumper to bumper from the island back to 75th Street West in Bradenton. And the cars just kept coming.

Restaurants on the island and elsewhere continued to do a brisk business and others who had plans for one of the canceled events simply found something else to do in the great outdoors.

“We usually go to the Farmers Market this time of day during season and get something to eat while we are downtown,” said Janet Wilson who was walking her dog Pikachu through Robinson Preserve. “My daughter named him,” she noted quickly in self defense and with a hearty laugh.

“Seriously though, this is Florida,” she said. “This is Manatee County. If you can’t find something to do on your own, then I don’t know what to tell you.”

Restaurants are doing their part amid the concern

Pier 22, Corwin’s Ice Cream and Smoothies and Bealls Bistro Restaurants sent out a release Saturday to assure customers they are doing all they can in terms of cleanliness, “and that focus on that priority could not be stronger than today.” Anna Maria Oyster and Oak and Stone have sent out similar advisories.

And of course, there is always take-out options.

Ultimately, Manatee County residents are taking the coronavirus seriously, but they won’t be denied their daily quality of life.

Patricia Rush pulled up to the arts and crafts fair in Holmes Beach, shocked and happy to see some kind of event taking place. Rush said she’s a vendor as well, but for another event that was canceled. Rush is concerned about what the financial impacts could be in the coming weeks with all the cancellations, but said she understands.

“They are doing what they have to do,” she said. “Nobody wants to see all these closures but it’s probably good to lower the risk as much as possible. I am feeling some uncertainty but all you can do is take it day by day.”

This story was originally published March 14, 2020 at 1:29 PM with the headline "Coronavirus got you down? Bradenton residents and visitors are taking it in stride."