With the holiday weekend coinciding with a heat wave that’s expected to send temperatures soaring 15 to 20 degrees above normal, Southern California’s coastal communities are bracing for an influx of visitors.
It’s typically one of the busiest beach weekends of the summer. And despite a rash of coronavirus warnings urging people to avoid gatherings, local officials expect that this Labor Day will be no different. “We know we’re going to get the siege, we totally get it,” Malibu Mayor Mikke Pierson said Friday. “It’s hot and people are desperate to cool off.” In Hermosa Beach, City Manager Suja Lowenthal checks the weather forecast for surrounding areas to gauge the volume of crowds the city can anticipate over a given period. Over the next few days, she said, “we expect a lot of folks coming into the South Bay.” The holiday weekend coincides with a heat wave that’s expected to send temperatures soaring 15 to 20 degrees above normal, and Southern California’s coastal communities are bracing for an influx of visitors. Public health officials have described the weekend as a crucial test of whether Californians can slow the spread of the coronavirus by moderating their individual behaviors. “The times we have seen spikes in infections and hospitalizations have been two to three weeks after a national holiday like Memorial Day or the Fourth of July,” Lowenthal said. “We’re hoping we can make Labor Day different.” Barbara Ferrer, the county public health director, said it’s possible to avoid repeating those patterns, but that depends on people doing their part. “We have an opportunity this holiday weekend to change the trajectory of the virus in L. A. County,” she said in a statement. Although Los Angeles County beaches were either closed or limited to active recreation during the summer’s previous holidays, county public health officials, in consultation with the leaders of the county and its beach cities, decided to keep the coastline open for Labor Day. But they’ve cautioned that if there’s overcrowding, that could change. “Obviously we hope [beaches] don’t have to shut down because if they don’t shut down, that means that hopefully everyone is following the rules,” said Nicole Mooradian, public information officer for the L. A. County Department of Beaches and Harbors. Those rules are: wear a mask at all times unless you’re in the water or eating or drinking, keep six feet apart from all those who don’t live in your household and abstain from gatherings and group sports including beach volleyball. The department will have volunteers at several beaches, including Will Rogers, Zuma and Dockweiler, to remind people of mask and distancing rules.
