For both islands, it was a highly unusual step to take given their economic dependence on their visitors, but both feared that their resources, medical and otherwise, would be overwhelmed if they lost control over the number of potentially sick visitors.

Relying on the ocean has often been considered insurance to stave off disease, although there is also widespread skepticism about the ability of any island to avoid a rampantly spreading virus. Any seal is bound to be imperfect, observers argue, and such measures will only delay the inevitable.

The select board of North Haven, an island in Maine’s Penobscot Bay that is reachable only by boat or aircraft, said that it struggled with the decision made on Sunday night that limits access to year-round residents, but that it did not have the resources to handle even a few cases.

Seventeen cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Maine, with none in North Haven.

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Maps show the extent of the coronavirus outbreak and the number of cases and deaths by state.

But residents expressed worry at an annual town meeting that seasonal residents and travelers could carry the virus to the island, which has a single clinic that is not licensed or operated as an emergency medical facility, a lone nurse practitioner and one ambulance.

It takes one hour and 10 minutes to travel to the mainland, according to Kathleen Macy, a lifelong resident who serves as town clerk. It would take a minimum of three hours to get to a hospital, she added.

“People don’t understand how fragile we are if something catastrophic happened because we don’t have quick access,” she said on Tuesday. “We’re a pretty hardy bunch, but we’ve never had this situation before.”

The reaction was mixed, ranging from outrage by some property owners denied access to their expensive mansions to others who accepted that the medical situation warranted the precaution.

“I am sympathetic, I think they are very vulnerable,” said Nicholas Platt, 84, a retired American diplomat and former president of the Asia Society, who said he had spent virtually every summer there since he was born. His grandfather first bought a house there in 1923, and his three sons, including the actor Oliver Platt, all own homes in an idyllic place that he described as “Where God takes his vacation in August.”

Mr. Platt said he did not think the decision would cause a permanent rift between the local residents and their affluent visitors, but others were less sure given the outrage and anger expressed on Facebook and elsewhere.

Lisa Shields, a realtor, said she had fielded phone calls from summer residents who said the islanders were turning it into “an us-versus-them situation.”

Each side has a sense of propriety about the island, both those who have lived there and those who have summered there for generations. “For the seasonal people, it is where they get married, where they hold funerals,” said Kris Davidson, another realtor. “This is a very meaningful place for them.”

Although some rancor lingers between the two groups, the relationship has improved in recent decades as both sides came to understand that they need each other, residents said. Occasionally they have even intermarried.

The summer people rely on those in the town to keep their houses in working order, not to mention maintain some life on the island, while the residents are almost utterly dependent on their visitors economically.

Mrs. Shields said she hoped that the decision would be seen as an effort to protect everyone involved. If one of the seasonal people got sick and the lone ambulance had already whisked someone away, there could be dire consequences, she noted.

“There is a lot of confusion, a lot of fear and a lot of trepidation and self-examination,” she said, calling the ban less a move against the summer people than an effort to keep some control over what happens on the island in a crisis.

It was also not entirely clear whether the ban was legal and could be enforced. The Maine State Ferry Service has been operating its normal schedule to the island. County and state officials are also reviewing the order.

Given the rancor involved, local officials were also considering changing it from an order to a recommendation, asking summer residents to voluntarily stay away.

In North Carolina, residents of Roanoke Island were outraged when a short-term rental company encouraged outsiders to escape the coronavirus by coming to the beach. To quell the anger, the business owner ended his advertising campaign.

Cutting off the islands is nothing new — the bridges are often blocked as hurricanes approach. This time, residents noticed that there was an uptick in visitors as canceled classes and spring break allowed families to come to the beach.

Residents were also worried that they did not have the resources to cope with an influx of outsiders who fell ill.

Jamie Anderson, the owner of Downtown Books in Manteo, N.C., said her business remained open while many souvenir shops had shuttered.

“Nobody needs to buy a sweater or buy a cute wineglass,” she said, “but a book can keep you occupied for a few days.”

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