Outer Banks is closed due to coronavirus. An ad offers to smuggle people in, cops say
The Outer Banks closed its doors to outsiders after federal health officials warned against the type of “discretionary travel” that typically drives droves of tourists to its beaches this time of year.
Now, as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread, someone is trying to ferret them in despite roadblocks and police checkpoints.
A Craigslist ad posted three days ago is offering a shuttle service between Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks, Kitty Hawk Police Department said on its Facebook page Tuesday.
“Well, we have truly moved beyond the absurd and ridiculous,” the post states. “We have researched it and yes this appears to be a valid post on Craigslist. Really folks?!?”
Police said they even reached out for a price check after the person indicated “rates very(sic) depending on time and day.”
On Wednesday, they heard back.
“The person told us that it was just a joke and apologized,” the police department said in a follow-up post. “The person also said that they contacted the Sheriff’s Office and apologized. We told the person that we thought it was a really stupid idea.”
In a since-removed post on Craigslist, someone advertised rides in both directions along the roughly 85-mile route between Virginia Beach just north of the border and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina — where N.C. Highway 12 is accessible from the mainland.
The highway connects much of the Outer Banks, from Ocracoke up to its northern most point in Corolla.
Dare County, which encompasses a large swath of the Outer Banks, announced it was closing to visitors nearly two weeks ago as the number of reported COVID-19 cases began to climb across the state, McClatchy News reported.
At the time, Dare County had no reported cases. County health officials announced the first positive test for COVID-19 on March 25.
It remains the only case in the county as of Tuesday, compared to more than 1,500 cases statewide.
Dare County’s order — which went into effect on March 20 at 10 p.m. — allows only residents who show a valid North Carolina driver’s license or government-issued ID with a local address beyond police checkpoints, McClatchy News reported.
Police monitoring those checkpoints have asked drivers keep their windows rolled up to maintain social distancing, according to the Kitty Hawk Police Department.
They can put their ID or permit on the driver’s side glass for officers to inspect.
Following the discovery of the Craiglist ad, police urged everyone not to “make it any more dangerous for those hard working law enforcement officers at the checkpoints.”
The post has since been shared more than 130 times and generated 43 comments from angry residents urging police to track down the culprit.
One praised the department’s perfect “response to this ridiculousness.”
“Common sense is a valuable gift during this trying time,” Kitty Hawk police said.
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This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 6:51 PM with the headline "Outer Banks is closed due to coronavirus. An ad offers to smuggle people in, cops say."
