SALISBURY, Md. - Tangier Island was spared for eight months, as not a single coronavirus case was reported.
Their luck, it seems, has run out. COVID-19 is on the island.
Tangier is a place known for its history and rugged way of life. Tangier mayor James "Ooker" Eskridge says both he and his wife tested positive.
"My wife and I, 'course we both had it... We're feeling pretty good. It took awhile. We never had a high fever. We had a low-grade fever," Eskridge says about he and his wife's bout with COVID. "I was the last one for awhile that had a case of it and now, there's quite a few cases again."
Eskridge's father-in-law was not as fortunate. He was one of the first reported cases, and, eventually, a fatality. He was 89.
Eskridge says his wife and her sisters took care of his father-in-law. "That's how she got it and when she had to come home, that's how I got it."
Mayor Eskridge also says the island lost another inhabitant to the virus. "He had been flown to Norfolk and he died last night or early this morning."
Tangier is home to around 420 people. Around 40% of the island's population is elderly. The island itself is approximately 740 acres. So, in terms of the virus's spread, it does not have very far to go.
The Virginia Department of Health could not be reached for comment as to how many active cases are on the island. It's suspected a church service in late November may be what started the spread.