Long Beach boardwalk closed amid coronavirus fears
The Long Beach boardwalk Tuesday, filled with people walking, riding bikes and skateboards. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
The City of Long Beach announced its iconic beachside boardwalk closed indefinitely effective at 8 p.m. Thursday due to crowd control concerns in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
City officials have added gates and physical barriers to the boardwalk both from Shore Road and from the beachside at each entrance of the 2.2 mile boardwalk spanning from New York Avenue to Neptune Avenue.
The boardwalk is closed until further notice and police will patrol the boardwalk, city spokesman John McNally said.
“We can’t allow the heart of Long Beach to be a venue for transmission of this virus,” McNally said. “Our decision today is reflection of activities on the boardwalk over the last two weeks.”
The city had warned for several days that it may close the boardwalk if social distancing guidelines of six feet were not followed by pedestrians on the boardwalk. Police have added signage to remind residents of social distancing and patrolled the boardwalk.
City officials have noticed larger crowds grouped together on the boardwalk as the weather got warmer and anticipated more visitors for the spring. Residents received a robocall to announce the closure.
The city’s beach remains open, but cannot be accessed from the boardwalk. The beach can only be accessed on opposite ends of the boardwalk.
“Long Beach is a very densely populated community with a disproportionally high number of first responders and health care providers who call the city home. For your own health and theirs, this is a measure we need to take,” City Council President John Bendo said in a statement to residents.
Bendo said if the city can slow the rate of transmission of coronavirus, they hope to reopen the boardwalk in time for its busy summer season once it is safe to do so.
“This was clearly not an easy decision to make, but it is literally a matter of life and death. We know how much we all care about our loved ones and neighbors, so this is just a temporary sacrifice we’re going to have to make,” Bendo said.
The city’s boardwalk was rebuilt in 2013, a year after it was destroyed by superstorm Sandy. The city’s beach season generally opens for admission from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but the boardwalk is utilized by thousands of residents and visitors as a beach side attraction, biking, walking and running.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
