The Memorial Day weekend marking the unofficial start of summer in the U.S. meant big crowds at beaches and warnings from authorities Sunday about people disregarding the coronavirus physical-distancing rules and risking a resurgence of the scourge that has killed nearly 100,000 Americans.
The Memorial Day weekend marking the unofficial start of summer in the U.S. meant big crowds at beaches and warnings from authorities Sunday about people disregarding the coronavirus physical-distancing rules and risking a resurgence of the scourge that has killed nearly 100,000 Americans.
Sheriff’s deputies and beach patrols tried to make sure people kept their distance from others as they soaked up the rays on the sand and at parks and other recreation sites around the country.
In the Tampa area along Florida’s Gulf Coast, the crowds were so big that authorities took the extraordinary step of closing parking lots because they were full. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said about 300 deputies were patrolling the beaches to ensure people didn’t get too close.
On the Sunday talk shows, Dr. Deborah Birx, co-ordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, said she was “very concerned” about scenes of people crowding together over the weekend.
“We really want to be clear all the time that social distancing is absolutely critical. And if you can’t social distance and you’re outside, you must wear a mask,” she said on ABC’s This Week.
Chief Slaughter and @SheriffPinellas Gualtieri check out the latest #ClearwaterBeach conditions this afternoon. Check out the latest beach reports across #PinellasCounty at https://t.co/AjhKuCSVwQ pic.twitter.com/OlF0mL5Hgj
In West Virginia, ATV riders jammed the vast, 1,120-kilometre Hatfield-McCoy network of all-terrain vehicle trails on the first weekend it was allowed to reopen since the outbreak took hold. Campgrounds and cabins were opened as well.
In Missouri, people packed bars and restaurants