Put-in-Bay mayor asks visitors to follow the rules, enjoy themselves safely

PUT-IN-BAY — Put-in-Bay's mayor is appealing to visitors to the popular tourist destination to please follow social distancing rules in the wake of a new COVID-19 outbreak. The majority of Put-in-Bay businesses have tried to follow the new rules, including limiting capacity, encouraging the wearing of masks and providing social distancing, Mayor Jessica Dress said. "We asked that visitors help us do the same," Dress said in a statement posted to the police department's social media page. "As one of the only regular Ohio summer destinations open for business, we have seen record numbers of people on the island and want to continue serving all of them in the safest way possible." On Tuesday, the Ottawa County Health Department announced seven cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed for people who visited the island June 17-21 at places that included the Commodore Hotel, the Mist and Mr. Ed's. An additional case of COVID-19 in Put-in-Bay was confirmed Wednesday, but it is not tied to the outbreak involving the seven, said Jerry Bingham, Ottawa County's new health commissioner. In an interview with the Register, Dress said the chamber of commerce has taken the painful step of canceling most of the usual summer events, including the Pyrate Fest and Founders Day. "We count on those events to attract people to come here," Dress said. Because of the statewide shutdown, the summer season on South Bass Island began about a month later than usual, Dress said. "For islanders, it was kind of an extended winter," she said. "It was a huge time of uncertainty." Dress said people working in local businesses have tried to encourage visitors to follow safety rules, even as they sometimes run into resistance from customers and cope with the fact that businesses are shorthanded and dealing with big crowds. "Every single business on the island is advertising and hiring," Dress said. Dress said she has seen a few situations in which customers become tense and frustrated when reminded about the rules. "The workers have really relied on each other and their managers to handle those situations," Dress said.