RVs – Helping People Stay Put

RVs - be they modest campers or massive bus-sized homes on wheels - have long evoked images of the open road, and the uniquely American freedom to roam seemingly endless highways.

But now these recreational vehicles symbolize something else: The need to stay put and self-quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic.

RV dealers across the nation are getting calls from governments, utilities and even individuals who need the mobile housing units to sequester people like doctors, nurses and utility workers who need to stay on the job no matter what. Living in an RV is one way to isolate oneself from potential corona carriers or keeping the virus from spreading it to family members.

“I’ve had a couple of calls from people who are interested in what we could do for them,” said Jason Rattray, sales manager for RVs at the Alpin Haus dealership, which has outlets in Amsterdam, Saratoga and Port Jervis.

While the sales floor isn’t open, Rattray - like those in other industries such as real estate - is using web-based videos, apps and old-school phone calls to communicate with customers.

People are inquiring about RVs as potential quarantine chambers, a temporary home where a person or family member who may have coronavirus can stay until he or she gets over it and doesn’t need to worry about spreading the disease. The converse is also true, since a person can live in the RV and keep themselves away from others who might spread the virus, which causes the COVID-19 illness.

Recently Rattray said, they delivered an RV to a woman who works in the health care field near Utica, with the idea that she could be self-isolated in case she got the illness. Another vehicle went to the Warrensburg area where a man purchased one for his son who works as a prison correctional officer. There’s been a lot of concern lately about the potential for coronavirus to quickly spread in confined spaces like prisons.

Another customer from the Woodstock area bought an RV when his son came home from college, which closed early for the year.

Additionally, Rattray said, people are picking up their stored units earlier than usual. As well as selling and servicing RVs, Alpin Haus also has space for summer users to store their RVs for the winter. While people often wait until mid-April to start retrieving them, some are getting them now.

Check out the full article from Times Union here!