What is the vaccination status of Cruisin’ the Coast visitors? Here’s what we found
What’s the vaccination status of the thousands of visitors to Cruisin’ the Coast?
It’s a mixed bag, for sure. The Sun Herald talked with 26 random visitors this week, and found just eight were fully vaccinated.
“This is the South, we don’t care about COVID!” New Orleans resident Scott Rainey yelled at the car show’s flame-throwing competition, his middle finger pointed in the air while an “Old Time Rock & Roll’”cover rang through a part of Gulfport’s Island View casino.
Rainey, an unvaccinated veteran of the car show, joined the record-breaking number of attendees that Cruisin’ has seen in its 25-year history for a pyrotechnics display, reinstated after last year’s pause due to the pandemic.
Restrictions were lifted this year and celebratory energy was in place most of the week for the 18 unvaccinated Crusin’ attendees who told the Sun Herald they weren’t worried about the virus at the car show, its timing coinciding with the downturn of a particularly deadly delta wave of COVID which left the Coast mourning and its health care systems overwhelmed.
“I don’t even care about the pandemic, to be honest. It is what it is, life goes on,” said Kasie Couture of St. Bernard Parish in Louisiana, a 15-year Cruisin’ attendee who has gotten one shot not by choice, but to keep her job at a medical clinic.
“This year is great because last year was a bust,” she said.
A lack of concern about COVID was in the air even for the eight vaccinated attendees the Sun Herald spoke with, who felt aptly protected against the virus because of their shots amid the 9,000 registered classic cars -- the highest number in event history.
“Last year people were a lot more nervous, but this year I think we’re a little bit more relaxed, said Memphis, Tennessee, resident Joy Golden. “We’re still doing social distancing, we have hand sanitizers but I think people are a little bit more relaxed,”
Golden heads a group of around 30 who sit out in front of the Gulfport Courtyard Marriott under a tent reading “COVID CRUISIN’.”
“Most of us are in the medical field and we understand it,” she said. “So understanding it makes it a little bit easier to deal with.”
Golden said the majority of her group was vaccinated and are staying the “maximum amount of time,” across both weekends.
Amanda Martin, of the Discovery Channel’s reality series “Iron Resurrection,” agreed that 2021’s Cruisin’ was the most successful event put on in years, most likely because of people’s excitement as COVID restrictions lift with the arrival of the vaccine.
2021 is the fifth year Martin has come to Cruisin’, and she thinks it’s the largest she’s attended.
“This year is just huge,” said Martin. “I think there’s a lot of people ready to get back out here … This is the biggest car show in the nation, it’s a nine-day car show, it doesn’t get better.”
Ahead of Cruisin’, Singing River pulmonologist and director of Pulmonary Critical Care Ijlal Babar said the influx of visitors and large crowds for the car show wouldn’t increase COVID numbers in the area because Gulf Coast immunity was getting better after the surge. On Friday, Mississippi recorded 601 new cases, its lowest infection numbers since July 15.
“Look, it’s not like things have stopped all along. Games are going on, you go downtown, people are in restaurants and bars. So it’s not like things ever stopped. So I don’t think [Cruisin’ the Coast] is going to have such a big effect,” Babar said in an interview with the Sun Herald.
“I think between the people infected and vaccinated, we probably have significant immunity in our community now. And I would hope that this would just keep getting better.”
Vaccinated cruisers feel safe
Cruisin’ attendees, coming from across the country along with locals and Gulf Coast neighbors, displayed a realistic sample of COVID on the Coast. Of the Cruisin’ attendees the Sun Herald spoke with at events, those vaccinated were in health care or older in age.
The health care industry took the biggest hit during the COVID wave across August and September, with nurses sounding the alarm on their exhaustion because of unvaccinated members of the Coast coming into the hospitals in droves. Older Mississippians are also getting vaccinated at higher rates than younger residents.
Dale Peoples, a registered nurse from Wiggins, was at Tuesday’s flame-throwing event with his wife, a Singing River nurse. Both Peoples were vaccinated, they said, and got their shots after the recent delta wave.
Peoples said that from a medical perspective, the Island View Casino event was unsafe because of how many people were packed outside without masks. But the couple, who attended the event with their children, said they felt generally safe because of their vaccines.
“The wave has come down, I feel a lot more comfortable now having the vaccination than I did before. Even though I know it’s not going to protect you from catching it, but from dying. The mortality rate, compared to people unvaccinated, is crazy.”
Jimmy Lemmings, a Powder Springs, Georgia, resident was leaving the Mississippi Coast Coliseum on Thursday after the Cruisin’ Swap Meet and Auction “really impressed” with this year’s car show.
The retiree and a friend had just come from a car show in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and said he goes to a car show just about every weekend. He felt safe attending, he said, because he’s vaccinated with a booster shot.
“It would take a lot for me to get COVID,” Lemmings said.
COVID an afterthought?
Chaz Robicheaux of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, was able to attend his first-ever Cruisin’ the Coast this year, because he recently quit his job over a vaccine mandate.
“I quit a job yesterday because I didn’t want to get the vaccine. They made us sign the papers for it, and I told them I’m out if you make me sign that paper. And they said, ‘you’re gone,’” Robicheaux said.
Robicheaux was on the Coast with fellow Breaux Bridge resident Joey Lasseigne, also unvaccinated.
“Everyone is so friendly, no one is pointing fingers and saying “you’re not wearing a mask!” Everyone is so relaxed. No one is wearing a mask. You might see like .00001 percent wearing a mask because all the exhaust fumes kill COVID,” Lasseigne joked.
Rainey said he wouldn’t care if he caught the virus, he just wanted to be out at Cruisin’, though he’s unvaccinated.
“I think this is a good first event, people are still kind of hesitating about coming out, I think overall it’s still a nice turnout,” Rainey said. “I feel like if I get it I get it. I ain’t [getting the vaccine], me or my kids.”
“It’s too political,” said Rainey’s friend, fellow New Orleans resident Mike Miller. “Hell no, I won’t get the vaccine, I’ve been skipping through this pandemic.”
Tara Olson of Peyton, Colorado, sat with her husband outside of a bright yellow ‘49 Dodge tow truck on Tuesday night at the flame-throwing event with flags reading “Don’t blame me, I voted for Trump” hanging from the trunk. She wasn’t concerned about COVID during Cruisin’, especially because she has traveled to other places during the pandemic, she said.
“We’ve traveled to other places. I don’t see any problems so far. I’m not vaccinated. I just don’t trust that they’ve had enough time to test it thoroughly. I just don’t trust it.”
At the Long Beach Cruisin’ parade on Monday, Gulfport residents George and Karen Keller said they haven’t been vaccinated because they’ve heard “mixed reviews” on the shot.
“It’s just nice to see people out and about,” said Karen Keller.
This article and live event is supported by the Journalism and Public Information Fund, a fund of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
This story was originally published October 9, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
