Santa Cruz County Reopens Beaches As Wave Of Coronavirus Cases Set Record Totals
SANTA CRUZ (KPIX 5) -- Amid a spike in coronavirus cases, Santa Cruz County reopened its beaches to the public on Friday.
Just a few months ago, deputies were warning people not to get on the water, or else they'd get fined. But after months of people ignoring the order, the county gave in, and the beaches are back open again.
The original closure on May 2 made it illegal to be on the beaches from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with fines up to $1,000.
At first, locals followed the rules. But as time went on, the county said so many people were flouting the rules and going to the beach anyway, that it became impossible for police to enforce it.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
The county's total coronavirus cases have surged to 344, with 43 of them just this week. Known active cases have hit a record 106 as of Thursday; two weeks earlier the active cases were around 40. With the state reopening hotels for tourism, the county said keeping beaches closed no longer made sense.
"The cost of enforcement is very high. When you add up the cost of the state, the county, and the city law enforcement to enforce the beach closure, it was unmanageable, unsustainable over a long period of time," said Santa Cruz County Public Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel.
So the county gave in, even though coronavirus cases are soaring. The number of active cases in the county has now jumped from 40 to 106 in the past two weeks. Most of the new infections are hitting younger people ages 18 to 34.
The reopening is of concern to some local residents, one who said she tries to walk before 6 a.m. to avoid crowds.
"I understand their enthusiasm to get out, but if they could just behave a little better, that would make it easier for everybody," said the resident who went by the name Toni. "A lot of them have grandparents and family members, and parents who are older, and I just think they're not thinking about them."
Surfer Jordan Talbot said he hadn't heard of anyone getting a ticket in at least two weeks, and didn't judge anyone for breaking the rules.
"You know we're obviously all considerate about everyone else's space and I think that it's important that we keep that. But at the same time, gotta live your life," said Talbot. "Beaches are open baby, we're back!"
