Since many people are not working due to the coronavirus, or are telecommuting from home, thousands of people have been coming to the Morongo Basin for a variety of reasons. Some own second homes here and want to escape the madness of city life; others think they are less likely to contract the virus in a rural area. Every end-of-the-world book and movie has people fleeing the cities and escaping to the middle of nowhere. Many Morongo Basin residents, however, are furious that out-of-towners are coming to their small towns. Some feel the out-of-towners are buying up all the supplies in stores, could potentially endanger and infect residents with the virus, and are especially angry about the non-locals blocking traffic and parking on the shoulders of the roads going into Joshua Tree National Park, which is closed to all vehicle traffic, traipsing through private property and even trying to set up camp in backyards. The governor’s stay-at-home order urges people to stay in their own homes, but it allows people to go outside and exercise, as long as they practice social distancing. We want to hear from you; go to our Facebook page, Morongo Basin Broadcasting, and tell us what you think as a comment to this story.
