LOS ANGELES—On Friday, May 1, all beaches as well as every state park in California will be closed.
In a bulletin sent out to police chiefs state wide, it reads: “After the well-publicized media coverage of overcrowded beaches this past weekend, in violation of Governor Newsom’s Shelter in Place Order, the Governor will be announcing tomorrow that ALL beaches and all state parks in California will be closed, effective Friday, May 1st.”
This is a direct response to the various counties, spanning from Ventura to San Diego, who allowed thousands of residents to have access to beaches. Los Angeles County has closed all of its beaches.
Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner was quoted saying “Medical professionals tell us the importance of fresh air and sunlight in fighting infectious diseases, including mental health benefits.” Wagner continued, “Moreover, Orange County citizens have been cooperative with California state and county restrictions thus far.”
Police Chief Jon Lewis and Fire Chief Jeff Boyle of Newport Beach issued a joint statement commending the beach-goers.
“What we observed from land and by air was the vast majority of beachgoers practicing social distancing. There were, in places, some clusters of people that were not social distancing. Throughout the day, our police officers and lifeguards patrolled the entire beach area to educate and remind those individuals of the necessity of physical distancing.”
In an announcement on Wednesday, April 29, Governor Gavin Newsom made it clear that “We can undo our progress in a very short period of time.” He further explained, “What’s taken us almost two months to produce in terms of getting stable numbers can be unwound in a period of just a week or two. Why put ourselves in that position when we are just a week or two away from significant modifications on our stay-at-home order where we can begin a phase two of beginning to reopen sectors of our economy that are low risk, but do it in a thoughtful and judicious way.”
