b'thousands of campers, with more than 2,500 roped off. The parks staff are wearing masks OceanLakeshasinstructedsecurity that comes on-site is independent and self-lease sites and more than 800 campsites. Lo- and sometimes gloves. Two of the parks five guards to patrol more of the beach than they contained.cated right along the Atlantic Ocean, the bathhouses are open with limited hours of normally would to avoid packed beach im- Yashkova said anyone who camps at theparks beach stretches for a mile. availability. ages like the ones that popped up in Califor- park is signing a memorandum of under-Barb Krumm, the parks director of mar- A lot of people are self-contained, so nia recently. standing that highlights the parks rules.keting and public relations, told WCM that there are not a lot of people using the bath- We understand the need to be responsi-Ocean Lakes has been in constant contact houses, Krumm noted. ble and the locals want us to be open and wewith local officials, other park owners in the The parks housekeeping staff members want to be open too, but it can easily causearea and with the Carolinas Association of are all hired by the park, so Krumm noted that issues, Krumm explained. I think all of theRV Parks and Campgrounds (CARVC) as the it gives the park the flexibility to ensure every- businessesinthisareaareholdingtheirpark prepared to reopen. thing is getting cleaned properly. breathandhopingeverythinggoesExpecting to fill 289 camp- smoothly.sitesoverthefirstweekend,Krumm said that was a huge dip Still Waitingfrom normal because the park While some park owners were able towould typically be near the 83% open on May 1, others found themselves stilloccupancy range. preparing for when they could open theirEveryone WCM spoke with doors.said they felt additional pressure In North Carolina, Irina Yashkovaand her Seahaven Marine RV Park will be staggeringnot only due to the COVID-19 cri- husband, Kal Karmous, were hoping to open fishing charter boats at its docks to help withsis, but because they didnt want the 67-site Seahaven Marine RV Parkon May social distancing. to hurt opportunities for other 8, when the states stay-at-home order waspark owners or local businesses set to be lifted. The park is also working with charter boatby being irresponsible. The park attracts a mix of seasonal, tran- companies to stagger the boats they bring inShadron said her park was sient and work campers and offers chartered to take fishing groups out. Instead of twoAlthough parks are opening, amenities such as pools may going to have security patrolling fishing trips. boats at a time, Yashkova is working to makebe closed.theparktoensurecampers We have established practices for oper- sure they only bring one boat.were following social distancing ating during the coronavirus, Yashkova ex- It will decrease the number of peopleNormally, the park is prepared to handle guidelines. plained. Were cleaning surfaces that are that are grouped on the dock, she noted.another natural threathurricanesand We are asking all of our campers to be used by customers. Weve removed all the ta- Were just making a conscious effort to sep-Krumm said some of the things they do to pre- respectful and helping them understand that bles and chairs from any public areas. The arate people as much as possible and wellpare for hurricanes gave the park a blueprint these rules werent put in place just because only picnic tables we have are on the sites see how it works, and if we need to make anyon how to adapt to the coronavirus. we felt like it, she explained. We feel like and we can clean those before and after cus- adjustments we will, but everybody has anIt is the way that we communicate to our we have the weight of the world on us be- tomers leave and arrive. understanding that its necessary this year.guests, she said. We are asking people to cause we know the whole nation is watching The park also offers contactless package Still, Karmous said the park is eager todo express check-in or if they are coming in us, and you cant mess this up because as an delivery for campers who have packages de- open as the impact on business has been sig-afewweekswearemailingthemtheir industrywewantallthecampgrounds livered to the park. With no bathhouse at the nificant.passes so they can head right to their sites. opened. park, Yashkova noted that what seemed to be We havent been able to take in anyIt is about finding ways to do things like that Schulz explained that they have a respon- a disadvantage at one time is now an advan- short-term customers, so we have lost a tonandprotectbothourworkersandour sibility to their guests, the Jellystone brand tage. of business, he explained. Hopefully, thecampers. and the industry at large. We dont have too many things to man- order is lifted on May 8 and we can begin toSignage is located all over the park as We hate having to be strict with our age, and all these sites we have are full implement all of the new procedures we havesports equipment and playgrounds are all guests, but we have to be, she said. hookups, she explained. Every single unit been working on.WCM14 -June 2020 Woodalls Campground Management'