BADDECK, N.S. -- The main street of Baddeck is nearly empty and most stores are closed.
This seasonal community normally can't wait to welcome vacationers, but, for now, this is the way they want things to stay.
"The town's been very quiet, and I think it speaks to people respecting and listening to the advice they've been given," said Victoria County Warden Bruce Morrison.
But, if you ask the owner of a local drug store, you'll get a different message.
Pharmacist Graham MacKenzie tweeted over the weekend, that Baddeck was "crawling with tourists from other provinces and states coming here to open their cottages."
MacKenzie wasn't available for an interview on Wednesday, but Morrison says the message is clear to anyone thinking about visiting during COVID-19.
"We do not want to put our residents, our businesses, our medical facilities at risk," Morrison said. "So we just ask that you stay at home, and certainly come visit us when the pandemic is lifted."
In other parts of our region popular with cottage-goers, the sentiment is similar.
Dr. Heather Morrison, Prince Edward Island's chief medical officer of health, had a message for those looking to flock to P.E.I.
"Unless your primary place of residence is on Prince Edward Island, you should consider delaying coming to your cottage in P.E.I. until at least the end of May, or until the COVID situation changes," she said during a news conference this week.
Some vacation spots, like Baddeck, have their own community hospitals.
There's concern that if COVID-19 were to be brought into the village, it could be more than the small facility could bear.
In a place that's so heavily dependent on the tourism dollar, losing a big chunk of this year's season could be a big blow.
"We are concerned about that," said Morrison.
"There will be a decrease in the tourist season, we expect. We hope the pandemic doesn't last well into the tourism season, and certainly we are looking forward to welcoming back our visitors."
But, for now, they prefer that the streets remain quiet.
