‘I Am Stuck Until That Border Opens’: Marooned in Paradise - The New York Times

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POINT ROBERTS, Wash. — A home that long seemed like paradise is lately beginning to feel more like Alcatraz.

A five-square-mile drop of land clinging to the southern end of British Columbia with views of snow-capped Mt. Baker to the east and the San Juan Islands to the south, Point Roberts is detached from the rest of Washington State. Not far south of Vancouver, it is a relic of the Oregon Treaty in 1846, which set the northern border of what was then the Oregon Territory at the 49th parallel. To reach the rest of the United States from Point Roberts requires two international border crossings with a 24-mile drive in between.

The isolation is both a blessing and a curse during a pandemic.

Despite having no coronavirus cases to date, Point Roberts may be the last place in the United States to return to normal because the Canadian government has extended its border closure each month since shutting down on March 21. Only people with reasons deemed essential are allowed to cross, and the order has been strictly enforced.

Mt. Baker is visible across the Strait of Georgia, to the east of Point Roberts.

Before the border closed, Canadian residents regularly visited for lower prices on staples like gas and milk.

The few businesses in Point Roberts depend on cross-border commerce. Canadian tourists and seasonal residents, who quadruple the population during the summer months, generate about 90 percent of their annual income. Some of the 1,300 yearlong residents fear that if the closure continues, they may never reopen.

Brian Calder, 79, whose family arrived in 1895, predicts that “Point Roberts is going to be a ghost town by mid-next year.”

Parks anchor the region’s four corners. Children wander among cedar trees along the Enchanted Forest Trail, decorated with figures of gnomes and fairies. Whales can be seen from the shore and deer roam past cottages edged by flowers and protected by thorny blackberry bushes. People wave to each other as they drive past and catch up in the only supermarket.

For generations, Canadians have traveled south to their seaside homes. They dock their boats in the marina, golf at the public course and dine in the restaurants. Others cross the border into Point Roberts for cheaper gas and milk. They pick up parcels, many from Amazon, that are delivered to one of the seven shipping stores — avoiding costly international fees.

The community center has been closed to group activities since the start of the pandemic. 

Margi Fleming and Roger Gookstetter preparing lunches, which the community center offers twice a week for a $5 donation.

Henry Rosenthal, 86, runs the local food bank, which has seen an increase in people seeking assistance.

Allan White, one of the few Canadians spending this summer in Point Roberts, stood at Maple Beach Park looking north to his condo building in the distance. He thinks the border should be closed and is prepared to abide by the 14-day quarantine when he goes home.

“I think Canadians have done a much better job of handling the Covid than the Americans, which is a very strange thing to say because they are the smartest, most powerful country in the world that we have ever known and they’re with Brazil,” he said.

Many homes are shuttered because seasonal Canadian residents have stayed away this year.

Tamra Hansen, 55, owns the Saltwater Cafe, the only restaurant still open during the week.

Henry Mefferd, 12, mows the lawns of Canadian residents who have not visited their homes.

Most Canadians have stayed away. The marina is at less than half of its normal capacity; many Canadian owners moved their boats out when the border closed. Coyotes wander along the brown fairways on the golf course. Weeds poke two feet high through gravel driveways of shuttered homes. Only the Saltwater Cafe is open during the week and that may not last long, according to its owner, Tamra Hansen, who continues to operate at a loss.

If all the businesses close, she said, “none of the young people will have anywhere to work and they are going to leave. It’s going to end up being a retirement community.”

During low tide, a socially distanced visit at Maple Beach Park was an international affair. The woman on the left is in Canada and the woman on the right is in the United States.

Point Bob, as the locals call it, has always had a cross-cultural feel. Many children go to school across the border in Tsawwassen, a 10-minute drive, or are bused to Blaine, Wash., 25 miles away. Residents partake in Vancouver’s diverse cultural scene, attending the symphony and theater. They are grateful the virus has not touched them. At first they laughed when news reports described it as the safest place in America. As the border closure has been repeatedly extended, that concept is wearing thin.

CANADA

BRITISH

COLUMBIA

99

Vancouver

Point Roberts

Blaine

MT.

BAKER

SAN JUAN

ISLANDS

Salish Sea

WASHINGTON

Seattle

Pacific

Ocean

5

30 miles

17

Boundary

Bay

BRITISH

COLUMBIA

TSAWWASSEN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

MAPLE BEACH

WASHINGTON

Enchanted

Forest Trail

Point Roberts

Marina

1 mile

By The New York Times

When it was announced that children would not be allowed to cross the border to attend school, parents banded together in a letter-writing campaign, joining others in the community already petitioning government officials to recognize the area’s unique situation. Gov. Jay Inslee also jumped in, recently sending a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada in hopes of finding a solution for the residents of Point Roberts.

Ashley and Jordan Strub with their sons, Emmett, second from left, and Cedar.

It has been heartbreaking for Ashley and Jordan Strub to realize how much they took for granted. They live with their two young sons in a house with a wide front porch surrounded by mature fruit trees and dozens of chickens. Before the coronavirus, they crossed the border frequently, to go to the gym, to shop or just to socialize with friends. Some of their friends are leaving Point Roberts for the year in order to keep their children in school.

The Coronavirus Outbreak ›

Frequently Asked Questions

Updated September 1, 2020

• Why is it safer to spend time together outside?

  • Outdoor gatherings lower risk because wind disperses viral droplets, and sunlight can kill some of the virus. Open spaces prevent the virus from building up in concentrated amounts and being inhaled, which can happen when infected people exhale in a confined space for long stretches of time, said Dr. Julian W. Tang, a virologist at the University of Leicester.

• What are the symptoms of coronavirus?

  • In the beginning, the coronavirus seemed like it was primarily a respiratory illness — many patients had fever and chills, were weak and tired, and coughed a lot, though some people don’t show many symptoms at all. Those who seemed sickest had pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome and received supplemental oxygen. By now, doctors have identified many more symptoms and syndromes. In April, the C.D.C. added to the list of early signs sore throat, fever, chills and muscle aches. Gastrointestinal upset, such as diarrhea and nausea, has also been observed. Another telltale sign of infection may be a sudden, profound diminution of one’s sense of smell and taste. Teenagers and young adults in some cases have developed painful red and purple lesions on their fingers and toes — nicknamed “Covid toe” — but few other serious symptoms.

• Why does standing six feet away from others help?

  • The coronavirus spreads primarily through droplets from your mouth and nose, especially when you cough or sneeze. The C.D.C., one of the organizations using that measure, bases its recommendation of six feet on the idea that most large droplets that people expel when they cough or sneeze will fall to the ground within six feet. But six feet has never been a magic number that guarantees complete protection. Sneezes, for instance, can launch droplets a lot farther than six feet, according to a recent study. It's a rule of thumb: You should be safest standing six feet apart outside, especially when it's windy. But keep a mask on at all times, even when you think you’re far enough apart.

• I have antibodies. Am I now immune?

  • As of right now, that seems likely, for at least several months. There have been frightening accounts of people suffering what seems to be a second bout of Covid-19. But experts say these patients may have a drawn-out course of infection, with the virus taking a slow toll weeks to months after initial exposure. People infected with the coronavirus typically produce immune molecules called antibodies, which are protective proteins made in response to an infection. These antibodies may last in the body only two to three months, which may seem worrisome, but that’s perfectly normal after an acute infection subsides, said Dr. Michael Mina, an immunologist at Harvard University. It may be possible to get the coronavirus again, but it’s highly unlikely that it would be possible in a short window of time from initial infection or make people sicker the second time.

• What are my rights if I am worried about going back to work?

  • Employers have to provide a safe workplace with policies that protect everyone equally. And if one of your co-workers tests positive for the coronavirus, the C.D.C. has said that employers should tell their employees -- without giving you the sick employee’s name -- that they may have been exposed to the virus.

Ms. Strub, 42, said she felt like her community was being ripped apart. The couple is dismayed by reports of neighbors who have been harassed or who had their cars, with Washington license plates, vandalized when they did cross into Canada.

Daryl and Bobbie Marquette own TSB Shipping Plus, which relies heavily on customers from Canada, who take advantage of U.S. domestic shipping rates in Point Roberts.

The Marquettes closed TSB Shipping and laid off its 10 employees.

Packages have piled up inside of TSB Shipping.

Daryl Marquette, who owns TSB Shipping Plus along with his wife, Bobbie, said, “99 percent of our customers are Canadian so that’s why we are reliant on the border opening. Without them, we don’t have any business.” The Marquettes were so proud when they became successful enough to offer health insurance to their staff. After the border closed, they let their 10 employees go.

“With absolutely no income we couldn’t continue to keep paying for that,” Ms. Marquette said. “Telling our employees that they had to buy their own health insurance was one of the worst days ever.” She worries about them, knowing some have had to turn to a food bank for help.

Scott Elliston, 44, a former TSB Shipping employee, gets angry when he hears politicians say that unemployment is a disincentive to work. It is rough now that the extra $600 in weekly federal benefits has been phased out. He and his wife have depleted their savings and had to borrow money from family.

“I can’t find another job because crossing the border for work is not essential either,” he wrote in an email. “So I am stuck until that border opens. It’s getting a bit scary.

“I try not to let my wife see how much this is eating me. I am trying to stay strong. But even stone cracks.”

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‘I Am Stuck Until That Border Opens’: Marooned in Paradise - The New York Times
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