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Pacifica, Half Moon Bay Asking Out-Of-Town Beachgoers To Stay Home On 4th Of July

HALF MOON BAY (KPIX) - The mayors of Pacifica and Half Moon Bay have a message to all out-of-towners: If you don't live here, stay away this Fourth of July.

"Let's start off with the fact that we are a tourist town, and that we totally embrace tourists coming to Half Moon Bay," said Mayor Adam Eisen. "I get the allure of the beach, but you know, then you want to flip it and say, 'I've got people in the community, constituents that are literally fearful of their lives, as we've seen droves of people come at an unprecedented level.'"

Eisen and Pacifica Mayor Deirdre Martin said that throngs of beachgoers have been flocking to their cities recently, and packing parking lots to the point where cars are filling up neighborhoods.

"As people are parking in neighborhoods there are elderly people, in particular, that are very fearful to even walk out of their house," Eisen said.

Both mayors on Monday said they are asking non-residents of their towns to stay home this holiday weekend to keep thousands from flocking to their beach towns, making social-distancing impossible.

"We're asking people to kind of stay away this weekend," Martin said. "We know that people congregating in large groups is one of the leading causes of the spread of the virus, and we want to make sure we're protecting our community."

Brent Turner, a long-time resident of Half Moon Bay, is spearheading a community effort to spread the message to visitors to stay home this weekend, especially as coronavirus cases continue to climb.

"We could really be in a lot of trouble here," Turner said. "We're just hopeful that the other people in the other towns can be sympathetic, empathetic to us and give it a break just for a weekend."

People packed beaches, including Pacifica and Half Moon Bay, during Memorial Day weekend. Turner said traffic was a nightmare that weekend as people entered and exited the city. He said, this weekend, he is not only concerned about the pandemic, but he's also worried about the high fire danger.

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