Copied from www.giversland.com

It has been claimed by some that the coronavirus is a great equaliser; it befalls the rich and the poor just the same. But try telling that to the residents of Fisher Island, otherwise known as the richest zip code in America.

The exclusive man-made island, off the coast of Miami, is home to some 800 families with an average income of around $2 million. The 216-acre paradise, scattered with luxury condominiums and beaches, counts CEOs, celebrities and sports stars among its residents and former occupants — Oprah Winfrey, Boris Becker and Mel Brooks have all lived here.

That wealth has given residents an entirely different experience of the deadly pandemic to most of America. In the last few weeks, this private island of millionaires has been a microcosm of how the super-rich are enduring the outbreak.

While most Americans have struggled to get tested for the virus, Fisher Island purchased antibody tests for everyone who lives and works there. The thousands of tests were purchased from a healthcare provider in Miami, Florida — a state in which only 1 percent of the population has received a test for Covid-19.

But some of the institutions that cater to the island’s affluent residents have also drawn criticism for how they have handled the coronavirus. Earlier this month, the Fisher Island Community Association, to which residents pay around $30,000 a year in fees, recently considered applying for a £2 million loan through the US government’s $484 billion stimulus package for small businesses impacted by the coronavirus.