Several Orange County Cities Announce Beach Closures For Fourth Of July
HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA) -- Orange County is rolling back some of its reopening plans over concerns about rising coronavirus cases.
Under a new order, Orange County bars that do not offer dine-in food service will be closed for the Fourth of July weekend.
Additionally, some individual cities are closing their beaches during the upcoming holiday to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Huntington Beach officials were the latest in Orange County to announce Independence Day beach closures, joining Newport Beach, Seal Beach and Laguna Beach.
For Huntington Beach, this marks the first time in history its beaches and parking lots won't be open to the public for Fourth of July celebrations.
The move in Newport Beach comes after two lifeguards tested positive for coronavirus and as 23 lifeguards are self-isolating.
To date, Orange County health officials have reported 14,413 coronavirus cases and 345 deaths.
READ MORE: Orange County Reports 570 New COVID-19 Cases, 5 Additional Deaths
Earlier this week, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Orange County was on the state Department of Public Health's watch list due to concerning coronavirus numbers.
The county's coronavirus positive test rate increased from 9.9% to 10.4% on Wednesday, according to health officials.
Earlier on during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in California, images were widely shared of packed beaches in Orange County, fueling concerns about an increased risk for community spread.
