Updated March 24, 2020 3:45 p.m.
City advises avoiding beach, Palisades Park, beach bike path
By Sam Catanzaro
Following a weekend that saw a large number of beachgoers amidst a statewide stay at home order, Santa Monica is closing its beach parking lots while advising residents to avoid popular outdoor destinations.
“The City of Santa Monica is taking additional measures to protect the health and safety of the Santa Monica community and our neighbors by closing the beach parking lots. This comes after one-and-a-half days of large numbers of beachgoers coming to the coastline amidst the Safer at Home statewide measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19),” the City of Santa Monica said in a media release.
According to the City, these measures are in accordance with State and local health directives that prohibit gatherings and call for social distancing of non-household members.
The City went on to say that all residents and visitors are advised to avoid the beach, beach bike path and Palisades Park today and in the days to come to protect themselves and others.
“We know that it’s difficult to stay at home when the weather is so nice and being close to the beach is one of the primary reasons why we love to call Santa Monica home,” said City Manager Rick Cole. “Yet this is a time when we must take the guidelines from our health officials to heart. We urge our residents to avoid any public spaces where social distancing is a challenge.”
According to the City, parking lots at the beach are closed, effective immediately.
Residents of Santa Monica who live in the area of the beach and who hold residential parking permits for the relevant lots will be permitted to park, as will essential personnel.
According to the Los Angeles Department of Public Health (Public Health), there have been 662 cases of COVID-19 across the county. According to Public Health, 16 of these cases are in Santa Monica.
