Overflow in California: thousands of tourists without masks overflow the beaches and fear of a “super contagion” event

Concerned about a possible reappearance of cases of Covid-19, the southern authorities of California they were fighting this weekend to contain the huge crowds of tourists who took advantage of Easter to flood the beaches, the piers and the famous boardwalks, the wooden boulevards to walk along the coast.

But on the other side are the people, fed up with more than a year of restrictions and desperate to celebrate in the sun, and officials seem to have few tools to enforce the use of masks and physical distancing.

The postcards that were seen these last days –hundreds of people huddled together and without chinstraps on the Santa Monica Pier or huddled around street performers on the Venice Beach boardwalk— generated outrage in local residents and concern in the authorities, who fear that the Easter spring holiday in the “golden state” will spiral out of control, as it did in Miami, and turn into what is known as a “super contagion event.”

While vaccination in the region has accelerated significantly in recent weeks – approximately 50% of Los Angeles County adults received at least one dose – local public health authorities are warning that it is not yet time to lower their guard .

Los Angeles Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer cautioned that people should not be careless when traveling or meeting others.

However, that message is inscribed within a rather opposite context, with a rapid reduction of restrictions due to the pandemic and with political leaders eager to communicate good news and relaunch the economy. Some theme parks reopened this week, and outdoor bars and bowling alleys in Los Angeles will be allowed to operate again starting Monday..

People enjoy the warm weather on Santa Monica Beach in Santa Monica, California. (Photo: Globe Live Media / Damian Dovarganes) (Damian Dovarganes /)

“Every action we take at the local level is headed in the right direction,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told the media this week, barely referring to the need to act wisely during the Easter holiday.

Garcetti’s tone was in stark contrast to that of Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), who, given the spike in infections in some parts of the country, had said she had a feeling of “imminent doom.”

Similar omens were heard by local Santa Monica officials last weekend, in front of the more than 100,000 people who visited the city’s famous pier without restrictions, and in front of street vendors, who are not allowed on the pier and who lit makeshift grills. in mobile carts, a concrete fire risk in the rickety wooden structure of the famous boardwalk Californian.

Health officials in California and across the country are calling for caution due to a worrying rise in new COVID-19 cases. (Globe Live Media Photo / Damian Dovarganes) (Damian Dovarganes /)

“If a jug were to explode on the dock it would be hell and a disaster,” says City Councilor Phil Brock. “On Saturday night I was there for 45 minutes, and not a single policeman appeared … It was supposed to be a weekend with maximum police presence, but no one came.”

For this weekend, Santa Monica authorities planned to restrict the number of people on the pier, closing the entrance from 19:00, three hours before the usual closing. They also plan to deploy half a dozen “health ambassadors” who will remind visitors to cover their mouths and distribute free masks.

However, local officials do not plan to repeat the system implemented last summer, when visitors could only enter the pier through a single access point and the number of visitors was strictly monitored by the fire department. Too are reluctant to order the police to fine those who violate the municipal order to wear face masks. “We prefer not to resort to such measures,” said Deputy City Chief Anuj Gupta.

Police in other coastal communities that regularly host tourists during the holiday – Venice, Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach – have been equally reluctant to break up crowds or avoid beach parties, in part because there are few rules governing behavior. in open public places, and officials fear a heavy hand will have a negative political effect.

Beach goers were lying on the sand just north of the Huntington Beach Pier as summer temperatures hit nearly 90 degrees inland in Huntington Beach, California (Photo: Mark Rightmire / The Orange County Register via Globe Live Media) (Mark Rightmire / )

Nevertheless, permanent residents of coastal towns are furious to see that there are thousands of people on the beach and that their children have not even returned to school attendance.

Anuj Gupta, the Santa Monica official, says there is no evidence that people get sick after visiting the city’s beaches. But he acknowledges that there is also no certain way to know if visitors get sick or infect others when they return home.

“Some complacency may have set in,” says Gupta. “But it is also true that being vigilant and complying with health regulations is the responsibility of tourists.”