Thousands of people are crowding the beaches in Southern California seeking relief from the heatwave regardless of the stay-at-home governor-imposed order amid the coronavirus pandemic.
While beaches in Los Angeles and San Diego Counties remained closed, they were open in Ventura and Orange Counties. However, beachgoers still had to adhere to a patchwork of guidelines and restrictions, including keeping parking lots closed to discourage outside visitors and limit crowds, CNN reported.
“It’s a beautiful day,” Frank Feerini, who was at Huntington Beach in Orange County, told CNN affiliate KABC Saturday. “How can you keep anybody in?”
The summer-like weather was a big draw for many who flocked to the beach. More than 18 million under heat advisories issued on Friday. Temperatures reached 93 degrees in Los Angeles on Saturday.
“I think that people want to get out,” Feerini said. “I think they’ve been cooped up, I think they’re going stir crazy. Authorities in both Ventura and Orange Counties reported excellent behavior by beachgoers, who they said were observing social distancing rules after weeks being hunkered down to slow the spread of the virus.”
“People are being very cooperative and observing the social distancing rules,” Brian O’Rourke, the lifeguard battalion chief for Newport Beach, told CNN.
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