Dear Borrego Springs,

Yes, there were signs posted reminding travelers of the shelter in place order. As we are now in a re-opening phase they have all been removed. Both the State of California and the San Diego County Health Officials urged people not to travel, to stay home and stop the spread.

After the shelter in place order was issued, there were people who willfully and selfishly defied the stay at home order and continued to visit our community.

Those that ignored the order put our community at risk. Borrego Springs is a vulnerable community: 60% of our residents are 45 years of age or older, a full 1/3 are over 65. We have no hospital and very limited available health care. The concern over the spread of the virus was a real and reasonable concern at that time. Reasoned people took action to protect us by simply reminding travelers of what public health officials were already saying, nothing more, nothing less – stay at home and stop the spread.

While I did not participate in that process, I know some of those who did. They deserve to be lauded and not poked in the eye. The assertions that the signs indicated the town no longer wants visitors are simply nonsense.

Dave Duncan

– Borrego Springs, California