Thousands of people crowd California beach despite ongoing coronavirus crisis
Thousands of Californians flocked to the beach despite the ongoing coronavirus crisis after the state experienced its first heatwave of the year.
Pictures from Orange County, which is Southern California, show masses of people at the beaches over the weekend as temperatures rose into the upper 80s. An estimated 40,000 people visited Newport Beach on Friday as officials continue to urge people to stay away from large gatherings.
The crowds descended on the beaches after Orange County reopened its beaches with modified restrictions for nearby areas. Parking lots and piers are reportedly still closed to prevent a surge of visitors from out of town.
‘I just caution you, if you’re going to get in the car, make a long drive and expect to find parking to go to a closed beach, it is very unlikely,’ Governor Gavin Newsome said, according to the Ventura County Star.
The county also said visitors cannot sunbathe or lounge and beachgoers have been ordered to ‘keep moving (while) walking, running, surfing and swimming.’
Ventura County also reopened its beaches while keeping parking lots closed, although they have not been reopened across the entire state. Beaches in Los Angeles and San Diego counties remained closed this weekend under stay-at-home orders still in effect in the state.
Brian O’Rourke, a lifeguard battalion chief in Newport Beach, told NBC that lifeguards have been tasked with trying to maintain social distancing guidelines, as well as keeping swimmers safe, but he said not very many problems arose regarding the distancing orders.
‘It’s crowded out. We haven’t had to many issues with (social distancing) as lifeguards. Our primary mission is watching the water. We’ve had dozes of ocean rescues and hundreds of preventative actions,’ O’Rourke said.
‘We’ve had very good compliance (to the social distancing orders). People are spreading out,’ O’Rouke said.
California has more than 42,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and at least 1,600 deaths as of Sunday evening.