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Surf's Up And So Are New Beach Rules to Prevent Virus Spread

Associated Press

   SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA - They arrived at the beach by car, skateboard
   and on bare feet. They carried Frisbees, cameras and surfboards. They
   wore running shorts, yoga pants and wetsuits.
   Many wore masks.
   That was the starkest difference this week apart from a moment in time
   in March that seems hard to conjure now -- before beaches closed and
   face masks seemed like an extreme and maybe even ineffective protection
   from coronavirus.
   No longer. Masks are now required at Los Angeles County beaches, which
   reopened Wednesday, to join counterparts in other states that have
   allowed a somewhat limited return to famed stretches of sand.
   "You get some side eyes if you don't wear a mask," said Tom Ventura,
   who sported a light blue face covering with white polka dots while
   cooling down after his morning run Thursday in Santa Monica.
   Along the California coast and in states known for silky sands, warm
   waters and ample sun, the surf is up along with a new set of rules
   posted in the time of the coronavirus pandemic.
   Beachgoers in LA County have to remain active -- walking, running or
   swimming. No sunbathing. No picnics. No volleyball. Parking lots, piers
   and a popular 22-mile (35.4-kilometer) bike path that strings together
   Santa Monica, Venice, Manhattan, and Torrance beaches are also closed.
   Similar rules are in place throughout the state, as well as in Florida
   and Hawaii, though masks are not required at many beaches. Tanning and
   even picnics are permitted in some places, though people are generally
   told to only spend time with family members and not gather in large
   groups.
   While beaches in South Florida -- Miami and Hollywood -- remain closed,
   beaches Pinellas County on the Gulf of Mexico allow chairs and towels
   in the sand, but limit groups to no more than 10 people. Signs urge
   people who don't live together to remain 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart.
   "I think it's a little much, especially being outside with the sun and
   everything," said Britt Mask, a Georgia man on vacation with his family
   at Indian Rocks Beach, near Clearwater, Florida. "I understand why it's
   being done."
   In Hawaii, exercise is allowed on beaches on Oahu, but Honolulu police
   warned people sitting on the sands of Waikiki that they needed to be in
   the water or moving along.
   Beaches closed in many places as stay-at-home orders got stricter after
   people, who were allowed to exercise, took the opportunity to escape
   confinement and flocked to the coast on balmy weekends. Public health
   officials were concerned large gatherings could allow the virus to
   spread.
   Andrew Noymer, a public health professor at the University of
   California, Irvine, said it was sensible to start reopening beaches and
   see how it goes. People should make their own risk assessment, but he
   said the sun helps kill germs and the virus is less likely to spread in
   the ocean.
   "We have to start reopening the United States slowly and smartly. We
   can't just keep everyone locked inside for 12 months," Noymer said. "If
   we can't run on the beach then how on Earth can we go to a restaurant
   or a movie theater?"
   A day into the Los Angeles reopening Thursday, turnout was lighter than
   the day before.
   "Yesterday was like the first get-out-of-jail-free card," said Peter
   Moore, who was wearing a white hospital-style mask and walking with his
   wife and dog. "If they open up the parking lots, we'll see if people
   are sitting on top of each other. There's a lot of sand out there."
   Redondo Beach police were called when a group of volleyball players
   tried to string up their own net where county nets were removed in
   March, said Nicole Mooradian, of the Department of Beaches & Harbors.
   They insisted to maintenance workers that the game was allowed under
   recreation rules, but relented and left with their ball after officers
   intervened.
   Some of the beach rule signs posted on lifeguard towers had to be
   replaced after being vandalized or stolen, Mooradian said.
   Otherwise, the biggest challenge for lifeguards was reminding people
   they needed to wear masks, said Pono Barnes, a spokesman for LA County
   Fire Department.
   Surfer Lana Song, who was overjoyed to be back in the water after the
   closure upended her morning ritual and led to her gaining 5 pounds (2.3
   kilograms), was confused about the mask rule that applies on land but
   not water. She didn't know where she would put a mask while riding
   waves.
   It's supposed to be worn between the car and the water, Mooradian said.
   But no surfer was witnessed doing that and another surfer gave Song
   plenty of distance as she rinsed her board off under a shower.
   Mlak Sahli, a student from Saudi Arabia studying public health, said it
   felt liberating to return to the beach for the first time in months
   even though a police officer shooed her and a friend for sitting on the
   beach.
   A small group of surfers were treated to a rare sight when a pod of
   about 20 dolphins surfaced and swam by, said Peter Lockwood.
   Lockwood said he wasn't concerned about catching the virus in the
   water.
   "Not a chance. There was so much air moving there and no one wants to
   be that close," he said. "Everyone wants their own wave."