Los Angeles County’s public health director is close to approving a phased plan for opening county beaches, officials said Thursday, May 7, paving the way for renewed public access to the coastline as early as next week, after closing in late March amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Los Angeles Department of Beaches and Harbors is preparing for that possibility, with the most likely opening date being Friday, May 15, officials said. Long Beach will open its beaches, which it owns, on Monday, though only for walking.
A four-phased draft plan on reopening, crafted by coastal city mayors and county officials, showed that the county’s shoreline and the water would be accessible from sunrise to sunset.
The county Department of Public Health did not return requests for comment on when the plan would be final or when health director Barbara Ferrer would OK it. Ferrer did not mention it during her daily update on the number of new coronavirus deaths and cases.
Still, Carol Baker, from the county Department of Beaches and Harbors, said she was “under the impression” the plan was close to complete.
But, Baker said, “there may be additional tweaking that I’m not aware of.
“As of now, we have not received a final word on when the beaches will open,” she added. “We’re preparing for as soon as next week.”
The four-phase approach, as outlined in the draft plan, allows the county to test re-opening its 25 miles of coastline in fits and starts rather than all at once, which could potentially lead to mass gatherings—and endanger efforts to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
The initial phase, for example, is designed to keep people moving so they can maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet.
“We have this limited reopening next week with all water sports involved,” said Manhattan Beach Mayor Richard Montgomery. “We want to make the beach an activity beach. We want people to keep moving.”
Phase one will still prohibit people from setting up umbrellas and congregating in groups, and parking lots countywide will remain closed. So anyone wanting to drive over to the shore to exercise will be left to find parking on neighborhood streets.
All restrooms at beaches will be open and county staff will be in charge of frequent cleaning, Montgomery said. Since most businesses near the beach will remain closed, Montgomery said, it was important for restrooms to be accessible.
The concrete areas above the sand will also off limits. That means no pedestrians or cyclists on bike paths, the Strand or Esplanade.
LA County beaches, however, will not limit beach time to just the morning hours, as some Orange County beaches have. Laguna Beach, which opened on Tuesday, May 5, for active recreation on weekdays, is open only from 6 to 10 a.m. daily.
Specific hours are just too difficult to enforce, said Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand.
“You can’t just go down in the middle of the day and close the beach,” Brand said. “How do you close a beach at a specific time? It’s virtually impossible to do that. It’s just not going to work. It’s like yelling, ‘Hey, everybody out of the pool at 10 a.m.’”
Officials with Hermosa Beach, which also owns its beach, have said they will follow suit with whatever restrictions the county makes.
The piers, meanwhile, are state properties and officials have to wait for guidance from California on when those could reopen.
The draft plan on reopening LA County beaches was as follows:
- Phase one: gatherings beyond household members are prohibited. Surfing, running, walking and solo activities are allowed. No chairs, umbrellas or tents. Phase one lasts approximately six weeks and includes Memorial Day weekend.
- Phase two: gatherings beyond household members are still prohibited, but chairs and umbrellas would be allowed. There’s a possibility, though, beaches would close for the Fourth of July weekend.
- Phase three: small gatherings would be allowed, volleyball courts would open and film permits enabled.
- Phase four: large gatherings would be permitted, with normal operation resumed.
In Santa Monica, officials have been getting ready for a potential early opening of beaches, but said they are doing everything in lockstep with the county.
“We know that people are anxious and excited to have those orders lifted,” said city spokesperson Constance Farrell. “We are really asking people to bear with us here. We’re getting close, but we’re just not there yet.”
As for Brand, an avid surfer, he’ll be right there at the shoreline as soon as Ferrer gives the open order.
“This hasn’t been fun for anyone,” Brand said. “I’m looking forward to getting my feet back in the sand and getting my hands in the water.”
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