Orange County To Keep Certain Beaches Open, Some Fear Crowds Will Form As Temperatures Warm Up This Weekend

ORANGE COUNTY (CBSLA) — The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to keep some beaches open during the coronavirus pandemic and with temperatures warming up this week, some are fearful the beaches will become crowded amid the crisis.

With San Diego beaches closed and Los Angeles County’s beaches off-limits, Orange County could be where people are headed.

“I am so excited,” said Costa Mesa resident Bradley McIntosh. “Obviously, things have been a little bit off with the coronavirus…It’s probably going to be pretty tough to keep everybody in their houses…Everyone I’ve talked to is getting ready to go get in the water.”

However, up and down the coast, beach parking lots and meters along PCH remain closed.

Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett’s motion to close county beaches today didn’t have the support of her colleagues.

“I’m hoping that relative to the other county’s that the residents in L.A. County and San Diego County, and other surrounding counties as well, that they will adhere to the Safer-At-Home policy, that are guidelines by the Governor, to stay in your home, stay in your community, and really not travel out of the county,” said Bartlett.

One Long Beach couple who wanted to breathe the salt air traveled to Huntington Beach with their baby.

“Well we have this newborn so we are already stuck inside with her, so just to get outside and walk around,” said Cassandra DaSilva. “We’re from Long Beach and it’s so shut down there so we had to come down here.”

Golfers are getting back on to the links now that Orange County leaders voted to reopen courses while pro shops and golf course restaurants remain closed.

“Stay off the golf courses, shut everything down, is not the direction we should be going right now,” said Orange County County Supervisor Don Wagner. “I think we should be going in the opposite direction, trying to open as much as we can responsibly.”

Social distancing guidelines are expected to be adhered to.

Seal Beach, Laguna Beach,  The Wedge in Newport Beach, and San Clemente State Beach remain closed.