Your ‘Twilight’ Tourism Can Wait, COVID-19 is Deadlier Than Vampires
Being a tourist in the time of COVID-19 is irresponsible, even if you really want to witness a glittery bloodsucker in real life.
Story by Lauren Decker
Forks, Washington was my home long before Stephanie Meyer decided she needed a gloomy setting for her book. For a kid in a rural one-stoplight town with the nearest city an hour away, the world was pretty small. I grew up on fishing derbies, frog jumping contests, and (occasionally) being allowed to skip a day of school to ride along in my dad’s log truck.
In 2005, “Twilight,” a novel written about sparkling vegetarian vampires was based in my hometown. The series sold more than 100 million books across the globe and the movie earned $407.1 million worldwide. “Twilight” amassed an army of die-hard fans salivating to get a taste of the supernatural. All of a sudden, the 3,285 residents and 4.12 square miles of Forks were thrust into a global spotlight.
Less than a year before “Twilight” was released, Forks Visitors Center had 75 signatures in the visitors’ book. In the month of July 2009, one year after the final book in the Twilight Saga was released, there were 16,186 visitor signatures.
Fast forward to early 2020. “Twilight” craze had died down for the most part. Though there are yearly events centering on the franchise, a “Twilight” museum and tourist tchotchkes around town, Forks had settled.
Then the world ended. We were all there, so you remember. The coronavirus swept humanity up, encasing us in a global pandemic that changed life as we know it.
Officials warned us to isolate ourselves, limit contact with others and eliminate nonessential travel or interactions. Weddings were cancelled, funerals were held via Zoom and babies met their grandparents through hospital windows. Oh…and also?
Stephanie Meyer released a new book.
In May of 2020,Meyer announced that she would be releasing “Midnight Sun.” The “Twilight” spin-off from the vampire’s perspective hit the market in August.
Despite state mandates to stay home, Twilighters and nature fanatics alike poured into Forks. They complained about businesses and restaurants being shut down, talked about their need to “escape the city” and its “dangers”. “Twilight” fans boasted about how amazing the saga was and how glad they were to “finally” have time to visit Forks. Non-Twilighter tourists who come to Forks to get in touch with nature would wax poetic about our mountains, beaches and hiking trails.
I’m not saying tourism is a bad thing. I love visiting new places and fully embracing the things I am passionate about.
Working in customer service jobs is made more interesting by the people from around the world I get to meet.
We’d love to see you. Later. When it is safe.
Here is the deal: I don’t hate tourists.
Quite frankly, I find their enthusiasm endearing.
What I don’t get is endangering other people for the sake of your vacation.
Cue the awkward silence as we all process that together.
The world in the time of COVID-19 is dangerous. I cannot hug my grandparents, see my friends, attend my university or do any of the other things that defined my “normal” up until this point. So, why is it safe to travel hundreds of miles out of your way to visit a rural town?
I don’t think tourists consider this and I don’t think they are malicious in nature. Just a tad bit selfish. Despite the fact that visiting Forks is their vacation, it is the full-time home of over three thousand people.
Forks has one hospital within sixty miles. It is connected directly to our long-term care, which houses our most vulnerable. Our hospital has two ventilators. Total.
If our town were to have an outbreak of COVID-19, it would be incredibly dangerous to locals. According to a population estimate based off of a recent census, almost 400 community members are senior citizens, putting them in the high-risk area for coronavirus. This is not to mention the people with underlying health conditions or pregnant people at higher risk.
Coronavirus has a dangerous dormant period. If you contract the virus, it could be 2–14 days before you show symptoms at all. Without proper precautions, there could be any number of people infected by one individual who unknowingly has it.
If someone contracts coronavirus and travels to Forks for a weekend trip, they could be back home by the time they realize that they’re sick. This means there is a potential for days worth of exposure to others while the virus was in dormancy.
Before the “tourist” season, Bogachiel Clinic reported that Forks had two cases of COVID-19. As of November 29, 2020, we have had 88 confirmed cases in Forks. Yes, I know the argument that correlation is not causation. We may have had a spike in cases even without the increase in tourists, but the influx of strangers coming from all over the nation means that statistically tourists are putting locals at greater risk.
Similarly, some tourists are being downright disrespectful. When the lockdown was initiated, the Quileute Tribe closed their land to non-Quileutes. As an effort to protect the Tribe, there were multiple signs put up indicating that La Push is closed.
Despite this, the allure of local beaches are enough that several tourists have been caught trying to sneak into Quileute land in order to access the trails and beaches.
By doing this they are not only disrespecting the Tribe by directly ignoring the rules laid out by their government, but they are also choosing to actively participate in risking the lives of Indigenous peoples.
Forks relies on tourism for our local economy to survive. But our lives rely on locals and tourists alike to take the adequate precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
So, to all considering visiting our quaint little town: we’d love to see you. Later. When it is safe.
For now, crack open your “Twilight” book again or turn on the soundtrack (I’m not personally a “Twilight” fan, but no one can deny ‘Flightless Bird’ goes hard). Hike a trail local to you, light a candle that smells like sea salt and pine. If you really want to put money into helping our local economy, donate to the Quileute Tribe’s ‘Move to Higher Ground’ project.
Stay home, if you can. If you can’t, stay in your city. Wear your mask. Social distance. Respect those around you by taking extra steps to ensure your safety and theirs too.
Plan your trip to Forks for when the world stops turning inside out. We’ll welcome you with open arms. If you stop into my workplace, I might even recommend you a nice spot to watch the sunset.