Nearly All SoCal Beaches To Remain Closed This Holiday Weekend
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Almost all Southland beaches will be closed for the holiday weekend, but not everyone is planning to stay away.
"I figured I was by myself, there was no one really around," said John Campbell, who managed to get in a swim in Friday. "I won't do it on the weekend but today was kind of a chill day."
In Venice and Santa Monica, images showed a few beach-goers Friday as well, with lifeguards not appearing to enforce the holiday beach closure.
Some in Santa Monica were seen watching the beach from a nearby park, to still get the beachfront views but stay in line with coronavirus rules.
While the beaches were closed, there weren't strong enforcements from police officers in Venice, but instead, officers relied on the honor system.
And some visitors say, even as they comply with COVID-19 restrictions, they do not want to see a crackdown on beach-goers.
"It's such a controversial topic," said Victor Zaud. "Everyone wants to have their freedom. It is just really complicated and really confusing. I'm glad they are deterring people from coming to the beach."
Elsewhere, in Manhattan Beach, where the number of confirmed cases has gone from 80 at the beginning of June to 140 at the beginning of this week, police are policing.
The department plans to use 14 event staffers to help police spread the word about the beach, parking lots, and bike path shutdowns.
"Honestly, I wasn't notified that the bike path was closed. There are so many people biking here," said Nunya Brooks, a Santa Monica resident.
