It’s spring and beach weather is settling in on the Central Coast. But residents are being advised to continue social distancing even as you get sand between your toes.
“As the weather becomes more inviting,” the County Health Department said in a news release, “officials remind residents to practice physical distancing at beaches and ask out-of-town visitors to delay their travel to SLO County until further notice. Safe and responsible outdoor activity includes gathering only with the people you live with and staying at least six feet away from others.”
The County Administrator, Wade Horton, who has led the County’s response to the Coronavirus Pandemic, said, “I’ve said before, that while we normally welcome visitors, now is not the time for tourism. That is still true. We must keep our community as healthy as possible and right now that means acting responsibly in our outdoor areas.”
The County has already closed its parks, including the parking lot at Cayucos Beach, the Cayucos Pier. One can still walk or jog, surf on the beach, but the parking lots are barricaded.
In Southern California — Orange County and Ventura — residents flocked by the thousands to the beach April 25-26, seeking relief from a heat wave. Images of people on the beach upset Gov. Gavin Newsom enough that he ordered beaches in Orange County closed.
Thus far the order hasn’t been extended to all of the State’s 840 miles of coastline but apparently that could change if the Governor so orders it.
For updates and questions on COVID-19 in SLO County, see: ReadySLO.org or call the Public Health Information Line at (805) 788-2903, or the phone assistance center at (805) 543-2444, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.
