Re: “Luxury summer rentals firm promotes early visits to Maine from out of state” (March 24, Page C1):
While most of the commercial exploitation that is mentioned in the press to date has focused on those who are scalping personal protective equipment or items that have become difficult to purchase, such as paper goods, for exorbitant prices, this article brought to light a local company that took profiteering during the pandemic to a new low.
Attempting to entice people living in areas such as New York – where the infection rate of coronavirus is rapidly rising, the health care systems are being severely impacted and there are increasingly strict requirements regarding quarantine – to rent a furnished luxury property and quarantine here in Maine is deplorable. The spin put on this profit-driven venture by Apex Luxury Rentals is ludicrous in that their representative made the argument that this could benefit the local economy. The risks to the health of local residents and the potential impact on our health care resources did not seem to have figured prominently in their planning.
Much as we will remember those organizations, companies and individuals who stepped up during this crisis once it is over, I am hopeful we will also remember those who used this time as an opportunity to exploit the situation.
Dudley Warner
Falmouth
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