People flock to California beaches despite quarantine orders by US govt

Despite several warnings by the government, crowds packed California beaches, hiking trails and parks over the weekend in open defiance of a state order to shelter in place and avoid close contact with others. Seeing the people breaking the rules of quarantine, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a shelter in place order directing the state's nearly 40 million residents to stay home beginning March 20 to help stop the spread of coronavirus.The instructions also led to the closure of many public spaces like parks, recreation areas, and beaches where the intensity of is more.

Packing beaches

Video and photos on social media showed groups of people standing in close contact with one another at popular hiking trails and beaches in Los Angeles over the weekend. Health officials urge people to maintain a distance of 6 feet from one another to prevent transmission of the highly contagious virus. In response to the crowds, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced on Twitter late Sunday that he was closing sports and recreation at all LA City Parks. He also tweeted that parking at city beaches was closed. "This weekend we saw too many people packing beaches, trails, and parks," the Mayor tweeted. He said people should heed the closures and stay home. 

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Garcetti also told local media that he was working with officials in neighbouring cities and the county to address large crowds at beaches. Meanwhile, the city of Santa Monica closed its beach parking Sunday to deter people from flocking to the beach. Apart from this, nearby, the city of Malibu issued additional guidance urging residents to maintain a safe distance if they were heading outside for a hike or to go to the beach. City-owned parks and trails also were closed to the public.

Further south, the city of Long Beach closed many of its recreation facilities. On Sunday night, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said in a tweet that the city had closed skate parks, dog parks, playgrounds, picnic areas as well as volleyball, tennis and basketball courts. The city is trying to discourage people from playing team sports and encourage them to maintain a social distance of 6 feet when utilizing city facilities.

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