Sorry folks, this is not a time for a roadtrip. Wikipedia Photo.

There seems to be this strange perception that mountain towns are safe in the wake of the current COVID-19 crisis. Safe to whom? Most of these small communities have limited medical resources, in fact, the town of Jackson, Wyoming only has 10 ventilators. All it takes is one asymptomatic person with the virus to potentially overload an already tiny medical center.

Does this situation sound particularly safe to an immunocompromised 65-year-old who lives here?

RELATED: Stay Stoked - Your Guide to TGR's Best Content

Mountain towns all throughout the U.S. are making the same plea to visitors: Please stay home. Visit Mammoth Lakes recently released a statement asking anyone who wasn’t a primary resident of the area to stay away temporarily. And while these statements might feel blunt to visitors, please understand that they’re hard to make. Small communities are largely driven by tourism. Cutting off this the essential source of revenue equates to a catastrophic loss of hotel, restaurant, and other customer service jobs. We’re already seeing this play out in Jackson with a large portion of the community currently unemployed. Rather than add stress to our already spread thin resources, consider making a donation to our local food bank.

Instead of going on an epic road trip right now, use your time at home to plan a vacation when the pandemic settles down. All these communities would love your business—just not right now.