Beaches in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware to open for Memorial Day weekend

[alp227]

Source: CBS

New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware will open their beaches for Memorial Day weekend, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Friday. The openings apply to state beaches as well as local beaches and lake shores, but do not include pools, he said.

The beaches will open on the Friday before Memorial Day. They will allow no more than 50% capacity, and contact activities - like football or volleyball - will not be allowed. Gathering places such as picnic areas and arcades will not be open, and concessions won't be operating, Cuomo said.

Visitors must have and wear masks when they can't maintain social distancing.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/beaches-memorial-day-weekend-new-york-new-jersey-connecticut-delaware/

[CentralMass]

1. What could possibly go wrong ?

[Texaswitchy]

2. Next year we will have a memorial day for people who died from the virus.

Just get ready.

[CTyankee]

3. Oh, FFS! Get your tan in your backyard, or deck...

I have a modest house but it does have a fenced back yard. I could put out a lounge chair there if I wanted a tan. which I don't.

Our friend with a modest condo has a little balcony he can sit on. He gets sun that way...

[elleng]

5. MANY don't.

I'm fortunate, like you (and my children,) but to ignore the circumstances of many is foolish.

We do have to HOPE that many will use the time and places wisely, while knowing that many won't.

[CTyankee]

9. In that case I'd try to find an area that was distanced from others. If there is a park nearby a

safely distanced spot would also be good.

[democrattotheend]

10. Yes, exactly

Many people in NYC have no outdoor space whatsoever, and some don't even have air conditioning. Going to the beach, public pools, or to air-conditioned places like movie theaters or malls is how they cope when it gets really hot.

That said, I don't think it's really necessary to open the beaches by Memorial Day. Every time I've tried to go to the beach on Long Island on Memorial Day it's been way too cold.

[EllieBC]

13. There's been a lot of tone deafness

about this. Being on a “pause” if you own a home in the suburbs with a yard isn’t that bad. In an apartment with no green spaces on the property? That’s very difficult.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. That's crazy. There is NO WAY to control crowds from being crowds.

Cuomo was reluctant but admitted it because the other states were opening their beaches. IOW, NY would make beaches more crowded in NJ and/or CT if NY remained closed.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

6. Better keep those temporary hospitals in Central Park set up.

It sounds like they're going to be needed. Also, don't forget to place orders for more refrigerated trucks and body bags.

[elleng]

7. Go Outside, Experts Say. But Keep Your Distance and Have a Mask Handy.

'A stir-crazy nation wonders: Is it safe to stroll on the beach in a deadly pandemic? How about a picnic in the park? Or coffee with a friend at an outdoor table? The risk is in the details.

The warmer weather across the country calls to mind carefree summers — picnics in the park, swimming at the beach, fireworks on the Fourth. But nothing feels carefree now.

As states move to relax restrictions intended to fight the coronavirus pandemic, even the simplest outdoor activities seem fraught with a thousand questions and calculations.

Is it safe to meet friends in the park, as long as they stay six feet away, on the other side of a blanket? What about a burger and beer at an outdoor restaurant? How risky is a trip to the beach or swimming pool with the kids?

The good news: Interviews show a growing consensus among experts that, if Americans are going to leave their homes, it’s safer to be outside than in the office or the mall. With fresh air and more space between people, the risk goes down.

But experts also expressed particular caution about outdoor dining, using locker rooms at pools and crowds in places like beaches. While going outside can help people cope with quarantine fatigue, there is a risk they will lower their guard or meet people who are not being safe.

“I think going outside is important for health,” said Julia L. Marcus, an epidemiologist and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. “We know that being outdoors is lower risk for coronavirus transmission than being indoors. On a sunny, beautiful weekend, I think going outside is indicated, but I also think there are things to do to reduce our risk.” . .

Even in the hard-hit New York region, some restrictions will be eased. Connecticut plans to allow outdoor seating at restaurants and outdoor exhibits at zoos on May 20. New Jersey, New York, Delaware and Connecticut will open state beaches on Memorial Day weekend, restricting them to 50 percent capacity. But New York City’s beaches and pools will remain closed.'>>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/15/us/coronavirus-what-to-do-outside.html?

[riversedge]

11. I read that earlier. good article and I agree with them. #socialdistantancing is KEY

[onecaliberal]

8. There will soon be another reason that day will need to be memorialized for the Covidiots.

[sakabatou]

12. Oh yay, more outbreaks and hotspots

[GulfCoast66]

14. How many of you live near a beach? If they enforce the rules it sounds fine.

With few exceptions folks here in Florida on the beach are keeping at least 6-10 feet distance between them. And most countries are aggressive enforcing it.

Realize when a reporter takes a photo of a beach looking down the beach it makes it look like everyone is crammed together. When in fact they may be 10 feet apart. Most days on a Florida beach is absolutely nothing like spring break. People try to stay away from their neighbors.

Plus everything I have read says that the virus is not effecting people outdoors. Especially in the sun and heat. Apparently it lives less than a minute in the Florida heat and sun. Which is not surprising.

I feel more safe on a beach than almost anywhere else. Well except offshore on my boat with the wife.

If sitting on a sunny, hot, windy beach 10 feet from my nearest neighbors puts me at risk then we are all fucked.