SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 17: People gather on Santa Monica beach on March 17, 2020 in Santa Monica, California. COVID-19 has claimed 13 lives in California so far with at least 470 people in the state testing positive for the coronavirus. Many more carry the coronavirus but have not been tested, according to officials. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has announced all beaches in the county are being closed to combat the coronavirus.
Supervisor Janice Hahn said the closures became necessary after there were crowds at the beaches during the weekend of March 20-22, which she said was “unacceptable.” The closures will last until at least April 19, when the county’s shelter-in-place order is scheduled to end.
“We cannot risk another sunny weekend with crowds at the beach spreading this virus,” Hahn said.
The latest county figures show there are 1,465 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 26 deaths.
On March 27, U.S. Navy ship USNS Mercy docked at the Port of Los Angeles to provide an additional 1,000 hospital beds to help prepare the county for an influx of patients. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told Business Insider on March 25 that he was concerned the county’s hospital resources soon would be overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.
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