New Yorkers hit the beach on the 4th, as other cities close access
Thomas Hughes New York City, July 6, 2020—
Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers flocked to local city beaches over the 4th of July weekend, taking in the sand and sea breeze for the first time this summer. City beaches opened to the public on July 2, 2020, in anticipation of the holiday weekend, and a few days ahead of the July 6th Phase III reopening of other city amenities, including dog parks and basketball courts. Beaches typically open on Memorial Day, but remained closed due to concerns about the coronavirus.
Parks Department Press Officer Anessa Hodgson told independentjournalism.net in an email interview that an estimated 371,754 people attended beaches citywide on the 4th of July, with over 230,000 turning out the following day.
Attendance was down about 36% compared to 2019’s holiday numbers of almost 577,000 people, as residents tiptoe back to their summer routines, which often include public transportation to and from local beaches.
“A substantial part of beach is now open in every borough,”
—Anessa Hodgson, nyc parks dept.
Parks “Ambassadors” are tasked with patrolling the beaches to encourage social distancing and to hand out face masks, and Hodgson said beachgoers were largely complying with health and safety guidelines. For the season to date, over 2.9 million people have attended municipal beaches, compared to about 5 million people last year.
Lifeguards were faced with a tighter window than past years to prepare for the season, due to pool closures around the city that delayed conditioning training. Hodgson said seven pools were used instead of the usual single training pool, so that there would be less crowding in training sessions. With over 500 lifeguards and supervisors in their seasonal roles, Hodgson indicated there is no plan to close beaches again in the face of lifeguards testing positive for coronavirus. Beaches in Orange County, Calif., were forced to close just days after reopening due to significant numbers of the first responders testing positive. Florida also closed its beaches as cases there surge. NYC lifeguards are currently using CPR bags rather than giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
“A substantial amount of beach is now open in every borough, and as in years past, we will continue to only open sections to swimming as it is safe to do so,” Hodgson said.
