From New York to California, people ignored social distancing to hit the beach Saturday as temperatures heated up.
Los Angeles braced for a heatwave this weekend which had people keen to get back to the beach as photos show beachgoers sunbathing and relaxing.
Meanwhile in New York, a spring day after a week of rain saw people out and about on Coney Island and Long Beach, despite the city being the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.
And in Florida, popular beaches like Daytona and Cocoa Beach, continue to allow people to walk, surf, bike or swim, while promoting staying a safe six-foot distance.
This comes in direct defiance with governors Andrew Cuomo (New York) and Gavin Newsom’s (California) strict orders to stay-at-home as coronavirus infection rates continue to rise nationwide.
Surfers head to the beach in the early morning hours on April 25, 2020 in Long Beach, New York
People relax on the Tybee Beach in Tybee Island, Georgia after the governor opened the beaches
A fisherman heads to the beach in the early morning hours on Saturday on Long Beach in New York
New York State-managed beaches remain closed by order of the Governor, independent city Long Beach has closed their boardwalk to pedestrians but has maintained open beaches
Signs at the boardwalk on Coney Island in New York remind people to keep a six foot distance as they enjoyed the spring day
People keep their personal distance as they enjoy a spring afternoon at Brooklyn’s Coney Island in New York
People were seen relaxing on the sand on Tybee Beach in Georgia Saturday.
The Tybee Island city council voted to close the beaches on March 20, but Georgia Governor Brian Kemp issued a statewide shelter-in-place executive order which supersedes all local orders relating to coronavirus and also opened up the state’s beaches.
Photos show bikini-clad beachgoers standing at an open food or beverage window on a hot Saturday on Tybee Beach.
Over in New York, beaches remain closed by order of the Governor Saturday, but that didn’t stop New Yorkers from taking walks, fishing and surfing.
Some people were seen with their dogs, while many people wore protective masks and appeared to keep a safe six-foot distance.
Independently run Long Beach has closed its boardwalk to pedestrians but has maintained open beaches and on Saturday locals could be seen bundled up in jackets taking a stroll on the sand.
New York City, which has been the hardest hit city in America from COVID-19, is starting to see a slowdown in hospital visits and a lowering of the daily death rate from the virus.
People can be seen on Coney Island wearing protective masks as they walk on the beach
y. New York City, which has been the hardest hit city in America from COVID-19, is starting to see a slowdown in hospital visits and a lowering of the daily death rate from the virus.
A family and their dog enjoy the beach in New York in the early morning hours Saturday
Thousands of people in Huntington Beach seemingly ignore social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus outbreak
Hungtingon Beach Officer Angela Bennett told ABC7 : ‘We’re trying to ask people to maybe put themselves in our residents’ position and think about the fact that our residents also have limited parking’
Californians continued to ignore Governor Gavin Newsom’s pleas to stay home after flocking to the beaches Friday and Saturday, prompting Newsom on Friday to plead for social distancing during the continued heat wave this weekend.
Newsom tweeted Friday: ‘It’s going to be nice outside this weekend. You might be feeling cooped up. Ready for life to go back to ‘normal.’ But can’t stress this enough: CA can only keep flattening the curve if we stay home and practice physical distancing. You have the power to literally save lives.’
California has been under a mandatory stay-at-home order since March 19.
Pictures taken in Huntington Beach, an Orange County city, on Friday show crowds gathering to enjoy as the state roasted in a spring heat wave. Dozens of locations reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher well before noon, the National Weather Service said, and officials are bracing for even larger crowds this weekend.
Families on Cocoa Beach in Florida were seen this week laying down with backpacks, beach towels and coolers, while friends stripped down to their swimsuits to soak up some Vitamin D following the lifting of restrictions that were implemented on April 2.
Cocoa Beach and neighboring Satellite Beach, which also reopened Thursday, are requiring that sun-seekers still practice social distancing and keep groups to a number smaller than five.
The beaches are located halfway between Florida’s two largest cities – Miami and Jacksonville – which are both handling the coronavirus outbreak very differently
Miami, 200 miles to the south, has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly 15,000 confirmed cases in the area. The city’s famous beaches remained closed for the forseeable future.
However, in Jacksonville, 200 miles to the north of Cocoa Beach, beaches were reopened last Friday.
Cocoa Beach in Florida is open on Saturday and people flocked to the shore in the sunshine state