Coronavirus: Thousands flock to California beaches as temperatures soar despite stay-at-home orders

“It’s crowded out,” says lifeguard

People sit in groups at Huntington City Beach during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Huntington Beach, California, (REUTERS)

Thousands of people flocked to California beaches and parks to enjoy the sunshine as temperatures soared over the weekend.

Local lifeguards estimated that as many as 40,000 people visited Newport Beach in California over the weekend, as some counties eased restrictions on public access to open spaces.

“It’s crowded out,” said Brian O’Rourke, a lifeguard battalion chief in Newport Beach told NBC.

“We haven’t had too many issues with [social distancing] as lifeguards.

“Our primary mission is watching the water. We’ve had dozens of ocean rescues and hundreds of preventative actions.”

Social distancing guidelines vary across the state, and Orange Country was among the areas in California that opted to reopen beaches ahead of the hot weekend.

“We’ve had very good compliance – people are spreading out, “ Mr O’Rourke added.

Los Angeles city and county beaches, trails and playgrounds were closed, and officers on horseback were patrolling those areas to enforce social distancing rules.

Officials are wary that places that are still open could draw crowds that will ignore social distancing rules and seek sun and air after being mainly confined indoors for more than a month.

Those visiting beaches that are open are not in breach of the state’s stay-at-home order, however California governor Gavin Newsom advised people that while they could use the beach for exercise, they must continue to follow social distancing rules.

Police in Pacific Grove said they had to close the picturesque Lovers Point Park and Beach at the southern end of Monterey Bay because of a lack of social distancing.

The city has also opened cooling centres for people “who might not be able to survive the heat wave at home,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

California has more than 42,000 coronavirus cases and over 1,600 deaths.

Both South Carolina and Florida have reopened their beaches in the last week.

Additional reporting by Associated Press