Beaches begin to open as states ease COVID restrictions
Myrtle Beach is a popular destination for many Western Pennsylvania vacationers.
Courtesy of Metro Creative
Many beaches on the eastern seaboard are reporting that it’s business as usual as tourists begin to flock for their annual vacations.
To some, the beginning of summer means trips to the beach. Yet in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there had been questions as to whether those beaches would be open for people to enjoy after nearly three months of stay-at-home orders.
As mid-June approaches, the answer as to whether beaches are open is “well, kind of.”
While beaches in Ocean City, Md., report that it’s close to business as usual, other locales across the nation are still taking precautions – in some cases opening at limited capacity – as states advance through their respective COVID-19 recovery plans.
We reached out to business owners and local officials around the country to get a gauge for how different beaches are approaching the summer seasons. Here’s what we found.
Ocean City, Md.
When the state of Maryland gave the green light for businesses like Dandy Don’s Bike Rentals to reopen May 9, owner Don Enste held off for a little over a week, unsure of how things would go.
In the beginning, it was a bit of a mess.
People were “not following guidelines, no masks, on top of each other,” said Enste, who has owned the business for 25 years. “As the weeks have gone on, people have settled down a lot.”
The last couple of weeks are traditionally senior weeks. In years past, those times are slower for Enste because the teens tend not to be active until around noon, when his bicycle rental business has to be off the Boardwalk, per city code. But he’s been seeing more families, some of whom are presumably off of work due to the pandemic, visiting the beach with their kids.
Even so, he said that few of his customers have been Marylanders.
“Everybody’s down here from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania … all up in New England,” Enste said. “I’m actually a little bit busier than normal.”
Beaches and the Boardwalk are open in Ocean City, but visitors are still encouraged to wear masks, practice social distancing and avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, according to the city’s website.
Restaurants are open for delivery, takeout and outdoor dining.
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The beaches and many businesses are open in Myrtle Beach, while the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is rising.
“Looking around, I think it looks like a typical mid-June at this point,” said Mark Kruea, public information director for the City of Myrtle Beach. “We are the Myrtle Beach that you have come to know and love; we’re just not at full strength.”
Restaurants are open, but with 50% capacity indoors, he said.
The popular vacation destination saw a spike in COVID-19 cases with 181 confirmed during the first week of June, according to the Myrtle Beach Sun-News, which said the rise is likely linked both to more people being out and about and an increase in testing. The following week, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control labeled Horry County, where Myrtle Beach is located, a hot spot for the virus.
City officials are redoubling efforts to encourage social distancing, Kruea said, adding they don’t want to see a return to heavier restrictions, many of which were lifted last month.
“Bring patience and bring a mask,” he said. “Wearing a mask is not required, but we certainly recommend that you do that.”
The social-distancing practice of keeping at least six feet between individuals is also still recommended in businesses and on beaches.
“Realistically, it’s fairly easy to social distance on the beach,” Kruea said.
New York
The reopening of beaches for Memorial Day weekend was welcome news to Kelly Borrello, owner of Sunset Bay Beach on Lake Erie and two beach-side restaurants.
“It would have been next to impossible to keep people off the beach if we had not been open,” she said, noting the ideal weather for much of the holiday weekend. “I would have been paying people to come to work to say ‘You can’t be here’ to other people. But I wouldn’t have been making any money to cover the payroll costs.”
The private beach, for which entry is $5 for ages 11 and up, is limited to 950 people, half its normal capacity.
“When the weather’s super nice, the beach traffic has been better than a normal year at this time,” Borrello said.
On June 9, so many people turned out that would-be beach-goers had to wait to enter until another party left, she said.
Other state-imposed rules include requirements that people wear face coverings unless they are seated with family or in the water and keep at least 10 feet apart from other groups. Tossing footballs and Frisbees and playing sports like volleyball are not allowed.
“They follow them (the rules) ’cause we tell them to,” Borrello said. “They’re not happy about it.”
Some visitors, especially teens, don’t appear to be following the news and aren’t aware of the requirements, she said.
“We are selling hundreds of face coverings on a busy day,” Borrello said.
Patio dining and takeout service has kept some traffic flowing at her restaurants, Cabana Sam’s Sunset Bay Grill and Sunset Bay Deli.
“Neither one of them are really takeout restaurants,” Borrello said. “It’s really more about the atmosphere and the entertainment,” which can’t be offered right now.
In addition to being located on Lake Erie, the area also boasts Chautauqua Lake, which has some private beaches but is mostly a fishing and boating draw, said Todd Tranum, president and CEO of the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce.
“Getting the lakes open, the beaches open, activities going again is incredibly important” to the local economy, he said.
Tranum said he’s noticed increased boat traffic, something he attributes to more people doing “staycations” or coming from nearby areas rather than traveling extensively during the pandemic.
Ohio
In Ohio, most outdoor spaces, such as nature preserves, state parks, trails and fishing piers, are open. Visitors still must adhere to social-distancing guidelines but popular summer destination Put-in-Bay is now accessible by ferry again.
Previously, travel to the island off the coast of Lake Erie was limited to essential travel, but vacationers may now return. Hotels, restaurants and golf cart rentals are also back up and running.
Staying on the mainland, Vermilion’s Main Street Beach has seen more visitors now that the winter weather has dissipated.
Jim Forthofer, mayor of Vermilion, said the beach was never closed to the public but the playground equipment near it was. Playground equipment can now be used, and Forthofer said they’re trying open things that are safe.
He said that over the weekend, the beach had a lot of visitors, but they seemed to be following social distancing.
“We’re a big festival town and they bring in tens of thousands of people,” Forthofer said. “Certainly the fish festival, we just couldn’t see our way clear to justifying bringing that many people in when the rules are no more than 10 people in one group.”
He said Vermilion is focusing more on small things to do for the community rather than big festivals.
“Things that are controllable and can be a few people at a time but still get people out,” Forthofer said. “(We want people) to have fun and get them downtown without creating a big crowd.”
He said that the initial reopening of businesses and restaurants started out slowly, but things are picking up now and restaurants are hitting their allowed capacities.
“I made a statement to the public that it doesn’t really matter whether you believe that this whole virus thing is a real thing or government hoax – I don’t care, follow the rules,” Forthofer said.
Virginia Beach
Jeff Wynkoop starts booking up his rental home on the northern side of Virginia Beach in early March, but after the pandemic struck, 90% of them canceled, he said.
“We were like, ‘What’s going to happen here?'” he wondered.
Two weeks ago, he started getting inquiries about their cleaning procedures at the rental due to coronavirus. He’d tell them they’re using the same cleaning products and procedures they’ve always used.
About the same time, people started booking five-day vacations, wanting to be on the safe side and leave a day or two between whenever the last guest left, Wynkoop said. But that didn’t last long.
“All of a sudden, a week ago, we got slammed,” he said. “We’re booked. We have one week left in August.”
Most of the bookings have been young families from Northern Virginia and Maryland, he said. He suspects the bookings are because people are “worn down” by the pandemic and stay-at-home orders.
“I can tell a big difference between the people around here and people from up north,” he said. “The Northern Virginia people are scared to death that the virus is going to jump in their car and attack them. It’s a totally different outlook down here. Virginia Beach is pretty laid back.”
The state recently lifted more restrictions on beachgoers. Now, they can gather in groups of 50 people instead of 10. People are still expected to stay six feet away from people who aren’t family members and no sports, including Frisbees, are allowed.
People aren’t allowed to bring in large coolers, music speakers, alcohol, tents or more than two umbrellas, to discourage large groups and parties. According to a state update June 5, parking lots and garages are also limited to 50% capacity.
Erin Goldmeier, director of public relations for the tourism agency Visit Virginia Beach, said the group’s website has seen an increase in people looking for travel content rather than coronavirus information.
“Weekend business is strong, and we have slowly seen an increase in customers going to and returning to attractions and restaurants,” Goldmeier said in an email.