CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. - Due to the limited emergency care in the town's rural setting and the limited health care facilities that it shares with its neighboring counties and states, the Town of Chincoteague has asked all visitors and non-residents to leave the island by 12 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24.
Chincoteague Mayor J. Arthur Leonard says those who are planning to come to the island should postpone their trip until further notice.
All hotels, motels, cottages, bed and breakfasts, home rental companies, Airbnbs and campgrounds are asked to not accept any new reservations until further notice.
While there are only two confirmed cases on the Eastern Shore as of Monday are not on Chincotague Island, Leonard says the virus may already be in the community.
The mayor is calling for people to stay home as much as possible and to limit their travel off of the island. He also called on people to stay home if they're sick, to wash or sanitize their hands and to practice social distancing.
"These are difficult times, requiring difficult decisions, but together we will overcome this dangerous situation affecting our community, state, and nation," Leonard wrote.
