Number of COVID patients at NCH doubles, Naples residents weigh in about masks

The number of COVID-19 patients has doubled over a span of three days at NCH Healthcare System.

On Tuesday, the hospital has 17 COVID-positive patients. On Thursday, that number jumped to 38.

Now, many customers and business owners are discussing the increase in cases and whether it’s time to bring back masks.

Take a drive through downtown Naples, and you won’t see very many people masking up anymore. Naples resident Judy Bishop said, “they probably had 50 people in there, and there were 3 of us with masks.”

Bishop, and Pat Grippando, hope businesses once again ask their customer to put on masks before stepping inside.

“Because of the new variant that’s out. We escaped it, friends and family, up to this point. Now, we have a family member who has it. We have a dear friend who has it. We have somebody in the hospital. So yes, I think masks in public inside should be mandated,” they said.

NCH saw more than double the number of COVID-positive patients than it saw at the beginning of the week. That was an increase of 118%. These numbers don’t sound too appealing to Howard Hirschhaut.

“It’s very concerning. I was going to be going on a cruise in a few months, now it looks like we have to hold it off,” said Hirschhaut.

That’s why he believes the least we can do is wear masks. “I think any time we’re inside of the store, going to the grocery store, people should have it as a courtesy, protect other people and wear a mask,” said Hirschhaut.

The Naples residents believe that we can slow the spread if we work together. “I just think everybody should try and help everybody else not get it. It’s no guarantee, but it’s a little bit of a deterrent, so why not do it?”

“I just think this omicron doesn’t care who you are, how much you make,” Hirschhaut said. “It’s going to hit you, so you have to be careful, and please don’t spread.”

WINK News spoke to several businesses on Fifth Ave and Eighth Ave in Naples about masks. Those businesses said they will not ask customers or employees to mask up.