Beaches Stay Open; Golf Courses, Parks Can Reopen In SD County

Kristina Houck
Updated ·5 min read

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — After most beaches reopened earlier this week in San Diego County, county officials on Thursday further eased restrictions put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic. Golf courses and parks will also reopen Friday officials announced, while face coverings will be required in public.

The county's announcement both loosened and tightened public health orders, as stay-at-home orders will be extended indefinitely in accordance with the state's guidance.

Despite reports that Gov. Gavin Newsom planned to shut down beaches across the state, on Thursday he ordered the closure of only Orange County beaches. He cited crowds not social distancing last weekend, particularly in Newport Beach.

Beaches in San Diego, Coronado, Encinitas, Imperial Beach and Oceanside reopened for recreational activities on Monday, but beaches in Del Mar, Carlsbad and Solana Beach remained closed. Beaches in Del Mar were set to open Thursday morning, but speculation of Newsom's pending announcement put the move on hold.

Fearing that Newsom might issue a statewide beach-closure order, San Diego County Supervisors Dianne Jacob and Greg Cox wrote letters to Newsom, urging him to reconsider plans to close beaches.

Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, co-chairman of the county's COVID-19 subcommittee, spoke with Newsom to highlight the ways San Diego is working to flatten the curve in the county.

"I want to thank Gov. Newsom for listening to our concerns and taking into consideration the great work we're doing here in San Diego County," Cox said.

"San Diegans, let's continue to practice social distancing at our beaches so that we can continue to enjoy them," he urged the public. "Let's not do anything that ends our endless summer. In the meantime, we will remain committed to following the state's orders and directions on health measures to defeat COVID-19."

Beaches will remain open for walking, running, hiking, horse or bicycle riding "where appropriate and authorized by that local jurisdiction," Fletcher said. Active water sports such as swimming, surfing, body surfing, boogie boarding and kayaking will be permitted. Parking lots will remain closed.

Officials lifted restrictions on recreational boating on the county's lakes, bays and ocean. Members of a boating party, however, must be members of the same household.

"No party boats, no party barges," Fletcher said. "Let's be responsible with this and get out and enjoy this in the appropriate way."

Parks will begin to reopen Friday, Fletcher said, with cities making the decision on which park to open and when.

Cities must post social-distancing protocols near the entrances to parks. Half of parking lots can be reopened. Additionally, members of the same household can now participate in active sports activities such as baseball or soccer, Fletcher said.

"This does not mean all of your family members who live in different households can come together; it means the individuals who live in one household can go out and play together," Fletcher said.

Cities that fail to enforce social-distancing and facial-covering protocols could see parks forcibly closed again by the county.

Golf courses will reopen Friday with similar restrictions. There will be no personal golf instruction, no golf carts, no sit-down food and no congregating. The county will also require the courses to take temperature checks of employees and customers.

"I know many of you have been eager to get out and golf, so please enjoy your opportunity responsibly," Cox said.

Officials also clarified the facial-covering health order, which goes into effect Friday.

Residents must wear face coverings when going into a store or business, around people in their offices and when within 6 feet of other people who are not members of their household. People are not required to wear face coverings at home or in their yard, their car, while jogging or surfing, or if they have a medical condition preventing them from wearing a covering.

"When you go outside, take your covering with you at all times and be prepared to use it," Cox said.

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Health officials on Thursday reported 132 new cases of the coronavirus and four more deaths due to COVID-19, bringing the county's totals to 3,564 cases and 124 deaths.

The deaths announced Thursday were four men, ranging in age from their mid-50s to late 80s. Three of them had underlying medical conditions, according to Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer.

Currently, 355 people are hospitalized due to virus complications, with 136 in intensive care. A total of 773 people have been hospitalized, while 244 have spent at least some time in the ICU since the pandemic started.

The rate of hospitalization among COVID-19 positive cases is 21.7 percent, the rate of intensive care treatment is 6.8 percent and the mortality rate is 3.5 percent. All three percentages have been slowly decreasing.

More than 51,000 tests have been conducted in the county.

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Patch editor Kristina Houck and City News Service contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on the San Diego Patch