Health officer issues order April 8
By Greg Seubert
Kristie and Geno Corazalla had been making plans to reopen their business, Iola Pines Campground, on May 1.
Those plans have been put on hold, as they are among the latest local business owners to feel the effects of COVID-19.
Waupaca County Health Officer Jed Wohlt issued a health order April 9 to close all of the county’s public and private campgrounds as long as the state’s Safer at Home order is in effect. The statewide order went into effect March 25 and is scheduled to expire Friday, April 24, but it could be extended.
Kristie Corazalla found out about the county’s order April 10.
“I have not received anything from the county,” she said. “I found out from some of my campers. We have seasonal people that happened to see it and started sending me messages. They pay their annual fee and they’re all wondering what the heck is going on. I need to figure this out and I don’t have an answer for them yet. Technically, that’s their lot. They’re paying for it.”
The Corazallas have owned the campground, located at 100 Fairway Drive, Iola, for six years.
Under the statewide Safer at Home order, campgrounds, including Iola Pines, were allowed to open and were considered an essential business.
“We belong to WACO, the Wisconsin Association of Campground Owners,” Corazalla said. “We got a letter a week ago (that said) campgrounds are essential, but we had to abide by certain rules. To me, it’s sad because there were rules. We couldn’t have our game room or pool open, so we were ready for that. We’re a family campground, so we do a lot of themed activities. We were thinking of keeping the store closed because we didn’t want children in there touching stuff.
“We were already implementing a lot of safety precautions that we didn’t even get a chance to do,” she said. “They’re assuming the campground owners were not going to adhere to any of this.”
Closures ‘necessary’
“Now is the time to ensure that all reasonable and necessary actions are taken to reduce the spread of this virus in the county,” Wohlt wrote in his order. “I have determined that this health order to close all campgrounds in the county is necessary to prevent, suppress and control the COVID-19 virus and to protect the health, welfare and safety of people and property in the county.”
“I’m going to all other campgrounds to see what they’re doing and I’m going to call the county and find out if there’s any room to breathe here, especially for the seasonals, because they have their sites,” Corazalla said. “Right now, it’s my understanding that they’re not even allowed to come in. They can come in and take it back home, but they can’t come in and use it at all.”
Enforcement of the order falls on the Waupaca County Sheriff’s Department.
“We’re depending a lot on the owners of the campgrounds to get that word out,” Sheriff Tim Wilz said. “Apparently, the campground owners had no problem with the order, from what I understand. I don’t think it’ll be a problem, but once we get into that warm weather, things may change. They have already gotten the order in plenty of time.
“What we’re going to do if they’re not in compliance with the order, we’re going to make a call to the owner of the campground and ask him if he can please be in compliance,” he said. “We’ll either have an officer call or the dispatch center. If he still doesn’t become compliant with the order, then we’ll refer those charges to the district attorney. We won’t do any physical arresting or chase people out of the campground. We just don’t have the manpower for that.
Wilz doesn’t anticipate a problem if the Safer at Home order is extended.
“As long as the campgrounds are compliant now and they keep their permanents or people who have made their reservations current on what the order is, there should be no question,” he said. “Three weeks ago when this first started, I had a campground call me because the permanent people wanted to come in and rake leaves. After talking to Jed (Wohlt) from the health department, he was against that as well. I told the campground owner that and she was perfectly fine with it. If the campground owners are compliant and we get people that just show up and won’t leave, then we’ll definitely enforce that part of it by removing these people. We don’t want to get physical with anyone, that’s not what we want to do. The blame wouldn’t be lying with the campground owner if he’s compliant, but the campers aren’t.”
County not alone
Waupaca County isn’t the only county to close campgrounds to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Oconto County closed all county-operated campgrounds and boat landings while suspending all-terrain vehicle use on county roads from April 8 until further notice.
“Oconto County is committed to the health and safety of the county residents,” said Debra Konitzer, the county’s health officer. “These outdoor activities draw many people in from outside of our county, increasing our population and putting a burden on our health care system. Limiting travel is one of the best ways to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“We understand this can be a challenging situation to adjust to,” she said. “This public health emergency is requiring sacrifices from each of us, but we all must do what we can to help save lives and stop the spread of this virus.”
Fond du Lac County also closed its public and private campgrounds in early April.
Iola Pines Campground’s 2020 season is scheduled to begin Friday, May 1.
“I think they should let the state decide,” Corazalla said. “Right now, the state is saying we’re essential, so we should be able to do it as long as follow guidelines, like hotels and motels. To me, it’s actually safer because everybody has their own personal camper where they’re staying. It’s just not right that they’re taking away from us and we don’t even have a choice to implement any of our safety precautions. When this is done and they say we’re going to get to open in mid-May, we’re still going to take precautions because (the virus) is not going to go away.”
Corazalla was preparing for a full campground on Memorial Day weekend.
“We’ll get some (campers) in May, but not a whole lot,” she said. “We’re fully booked for Memorial Day and nobody knows what’s going to happen.”
Seasonal campers occupy about half of Iola Pines Campground’s 90 sites.
“If they pull out, I wouldn’t blame them if they can’t utilize the campground,” Corazalla said. “Why would they want to pay their fee? That’s our bread and butter because whether they come or not, they’re paying that money.”
“As the local health officer for the county, it is my duty to promptly take all measures necessary to prevent, suppress and control communicable diseases,” Wohlt wrote in his order. “I am authorized under state law to do what is reasonable and necessary for the prevention and suppression of disease, including forbidding public gatherings when deemed necessary to control outbreaks or continued spread of communicable diseases, such as COVID-19.”
Reasons for order
Wohlt said his reasons for the order include:
• Waupaca County has approximately 6,300 campsites, which draw thousands of people from inside and outside the county.
• Camping encourages nonessential travel.
• Campers from outside the county will shop at local stores for supplies and groceries, which limits the available supplies for county residents.
• Camping allows for unmonitored congregating of groups greater than 10 people, which is prohibited under the Safer at Home order.
• Camping and related activities reduces the ability to properly social distance, especially in communal locations in campgrounds such as campsites and bathrooms.
“I knew people would be worried even though we took precautions,” Corazalla said. “It never dawned on me that they would stop seasonals from coming in.
“I’m going back-and-forth with my seasonals,” she added. “I’m saying, ‘If you come, the pool’s going to be closed and you guys can’t congregate.’ They’re going, ‘OK, yeah, no problem.’ I guess I really did not see this coming.”