New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned beachgoers that the waters will not be open for swimming this Memorial Day weekend.
“I’ve been really clear about the beaches — they are closed for swimming . . . People are not supposed to go to the beach to swim,” de Blasio said during a press briefing.
Since no lifeguards will be on duty, de Blasio doesn't want anyone risking their lives in the water.
“You can walk on the beach. You can hang out on the beach, but do it in a manner that is consistent with everything we’ve been talking about,” de Blasio said. “You go out for the amount of time you need, then you get back home.”.
The mayor also said people on the beach will need to wear masks and that 150 parks workers will strictly enforce public distancing, along with "hundreds" of NYPD officers.
During a later interview on WNYC, de Blasio said the beach activity in the near future wouldn't be like it has been in the past. He also said this “modified, lesser version of what we would normally do, because we cannot allow to have happen what happened in Florida and California.”
“We cannot see people going to the beaches in large numbers, crowding together. We’re just not doing that,” de Blasio said.
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