Coronavirus on the Beach (pt 5)
Channel: Sean Anderson
Date: 14/04/2020

California beaches continued to be a key focus of coronavirus media coverage through the Easter (Sunday, April 21) holiday weekend. Our COVID-19-motivated California beach closures were largely working, although a persistent small group of folks still persisted in going to the immediate coastal zone for recreation and relief from the stress of homestay. As a result, we saw a growing shift of law enforcement to deal more strictly with violators and to write tickets, etc. 

Another coastal story that emerged in early April centered on potential infection risk from going to the beach. This new worry was spawned by comments made by a Scripps Institute of Oceanography atmospheric chemist (Dr. Kimberly Prather) who was quoted in a Los Angeles Times article that breaking waves risked aerosolizing the virus and therefore allowing infection of much greater distances that the oft-quoted 6 foot buffer zone.

Lastly, there was significant fear that the nice weather would combine with the Easter Holiday and the ever-growing sense of "cabin fever" to drive many people out into parks and beaches where social distancing would break down.  Thankfully, that didn't happen by and large. The beaches that did have large numbers of visitors were in regions where beaches had been allowed to remain open. 

These news clips were from California from April 2-April 13, 2020.

Click the following time stamps to jump to the coverage about particular topics:

00:07 people violating closure orders
01:35 stand-up paddle boarder arrested off Malibu Pier
03:24 Dr. Prather's comments spark infection concerns
7:44 Oceanside's Beach finally relinquishes and closes
10:22 Santa Cruz closures
12:55 Humboldt County's response to beach goers
15:09 Los Angeles beach goers begin to shift up coast to Ventura County's then-opened beaches
15:31 Ventura County Board of Supervisors briefing on management of beach closures
25:45 concerns over Easter weekend beach attendance

If you have not watched the previous video compilations in this series, check them out:

Part 1: https://youtu.be/yAPBOaiauUo

Part 2: https://youtu.be/DuEFDIXcbFY

Part 3: https://youtu.be/LJ_2m2JJRoI

Part 4: https://youtu.be/fxSL8aXgRi8