Newport Beach to consider closing beaches on weekends because of crowds amid coronavirus concerns https://t.co/lwASQj4R6N
— O.C. Register (@ocregister) April 26, 2020
The OC Register estimated 40,000 people packed onto Newport Beach sand Friday and Saturday amid SoCal’s first relative heatwave of the year. As one of Southern California’s last remaining places where beaches have stayed open during California’s stay-at-home orders, our people on the sand tell us surfers from San Diego and Los Angeles have been migrating to the Orange County peninsula for weeks. And after the recent flood of weekend beachgoers and temperatures in the high 80s, city officials are considering closing things down through the middle of May.
“The beach was crowded, but a majority of people at the beach, it looked like to us, were practicing social distancing and enjoying our open space areas,” said nearby Huntington Beach Fire Department Battalion Chief Eric McCoy said. “For every comment or suggestion that we get that we need to close the beach, we’re getting the same comment from people asking us ‘Please don’t close the beach, please don’t close our open space areas.'”
Photos of the beach crowds in Orange County made news headlines and social media fodder over the weekend, stirring more conversation about access to open areas up and down California’s coast. San Diego was the first to officially close down beaches in March after four local lifeguards tested positive for COVID-19 (then recently announced they’d allow access to the water at sunrise starting April 27th). Los Angeles County followed immediately. Last week, San Clemente voted to open its beaches for active use only, like running or surfing, but no lounging or gatherings on the sand allowed. Seal Beach and Laguna Beach have closed area beaches. Huntington Beach has left its beaches open but limited access mostly by closing nearby parking lots.
Southern California’s beach access is a hodgepodge of limitations and restrictions that vary city-by-city and county-by-county.
“We won’t let one weekend undo a month of progress,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who announced on April 10 that Los Angeles County’s stay-at-home mandates would be in place through at least May 15. “While the sunshine is tempting, we’re staying home to save lives. The places we love — our beaches, hiking trails — will still be there when this is over. And by staying home, we’re making sure our loved ones will be too.”
So now, on Tuesday, April 28th, Newport City Council will reportedly discuss closing its beaches or closing down several access roads over the next three weekends to avoid the same crowds. The new plan(s) would take effect on Saturdays and Sundays (May 2-3, 9-10, and 16-17).
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_c4IodJp9C/
Here’s the catch, while Newport Beach officials will vote on their possible closures, Laguna Beach city council will reportedly discuss lifting its existing beach closures on the same day. So theoretically, one town could close access with the intent of keeping people safe only to filter those same beachgoers just a couple of miles south. It should also be noted that while city officials deliberate on whether or not (or how) to limit crowds at beaches, organizers of the OC Fair announced Monday they were canceling the annual event. And for reference, the OC Fair has run every summer since 1890 except for when it was canceled during World War II and the two summers following (1942-1947).
“I would like to see a consistent message from the county and the state,” Paul Yost, a healthcare professional and CalOptima board member told Voice of OC. “Some beaches are open and some aren’t, and people will likely flock to the ones that are open. So having some closed in one city and others open in others would probably not be a great idea.”
