Rockaway Beach (NYC Parks Dept)
June 24, 2020 By Michael Dorgan
City beaches will be open to the public for swimming from July 1, Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced.
Public beaches have remained closed all summer due to the coronavirus pandemic but the number of cases continues to fall.
“It is now safe to open the city’s 14 miles of beaches with restrictions”, the mayor said at a press briefing Wednesday.
“It will be a great day for New York City and is another part of our comeback,” de Blasio said.
People must maintain 6-foot social distances while swimming and walking on beaches or boardwalks, he said. Beach-goers will be required to wear face-coverings when they can’t meet these requirements, he said.
Beach blankets and chairs must also stay a minimum of 10 feet apart from other people’s equipment.
People should only visit beaches with members of their own households, de Blasio said.
He said there had been a “horrible resurgence” of COVID-19 in many states across the country and cautioned New Yorkers to adhere to the rules.
“We’re not going to let that happen here, we’re going to be smart, we can do that,” he said.
