Some Sunriver homeowners worried about out-of-town renters due to COVID-19

Say tourists should not be allowed to rent homes until it is safe

SUNRIVER, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Popular tourist destinations in Central Oregon have felt the impact of the novel coronavirus. Sunriver Village appeared to be a ‘ghost town’ Tuesday due to concerns about the coronavirus. Most shops were closed.

Instead of a lit neon 'open' sign, doors were plastered with signs informing people of the coronavirus and reminding people to cover their mouths when they cough.

Sunriver Resort announced Tuesday it will be closed at least until May 15.

Despite the closures, tourists are still visiting the resort community from out of state.

Eliana Baptist and Elizabeth Wood told NewsChannel 21 they are visiting from Florida. 

“My friends invited me to come with them around six months ago, so we’ve been planning to come here and ski, because it was my first time,” Baptist said. “I’ve never seen this much snow before!”

Wood said her family tries to visit Central Oregon to ski at Mount Bachelor at least once a year. She said they arrived in Central Oregon on Saturday.

“We’re staying in our own house, we have our own rental car, and we’re not really having much contact with other people, so it’s not like we’re going to be possibly sick,” Wood said.

Wood and Baptist said they plan on flying back to Florida this weekend, but they are not yet sure whether their flight will be canceled or delayed.

However, some Sunriver residents said they want rental companies to stop the influx of vacation home renters, until the novel coronavirus subsides.

“Sunriver has a rental home program, which is a minority part of the community,” said Doug Hoschek, a long-time homeowner and the creator of outdoor recreation textiles. “Right now, during spring break, without the virus, it would be between 1,000 to 3,000 people a day.”

Hoscheck said the large number of tourists coming to Sunriver to rent vacation homes could expose the community to the virus, especially because many of the residents are older adults and are more susceptible to contracting COVID-19.

“We in Sunriver are not a senior citizen community of disabled people,” Hoschek said. “We own beautiful homes, we bike, we golf and we ski. We do everything under the sun -- but most of all, we want to stay healthy.”

Hoschek said companies like Airbnb and VRBO should not be allowing people to rent vacation homes during the coronavirus outbreak.

“When you can get online and become a property manager, without a license, and send people here you’ve never met and leave the keys under the mat, this is not the way we want to live,” Hoschek said.

Homeowners are not the only ones expressing concern about renters in Central Oregon amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Sharon Sparrow of Sisters cleans houses for a living. She said she’s changed her cleaning procedures and canceled some appointments with clients because of the virus.

“I start out with a conversation before I come into the house,” Sparrow said. “I ask them, ‘How are you feeling? Has anyone been sick?’ I also ask that people be very respectful of the people that come into your home, like an electrician or a plumber. Be respectful of the people that are serving you on a daily basis, so that we can continue to serve you.”