A last piece of the coastal re-opening puzzle is complete, with Seal Beach opting to open up on weekends and expand hours to allow the public greater access to the sand and surf.
City officials this week authorized the city to move into its phase two and three “Beach in Motion” plans, which allow for active-use recreation with similar rules as other Southern California beaches.
After a six-week shut down, Seal Beach on May 11 opted to slowly open its stretch of coast on the northern end of the county, allowing access only Mondays through Thursdays, but remaining closed on Fridays through Sundays. It also had daylight-only hours, opening after sunrise and closing at sunset.
While the move was a cautious approach to opening the beaches, which became crowded in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, it also caused confusion as other Southern California beaches started to reopen in recent weeks, leaving beachgoers frustrated after showing up to enjoy the beach on weekends only to be sent away by lifeguards or police.
The new hours and days of operation, with similar “active-recreation” rules like all other area beaches, start at dawn on Thursday, May 21. The beach hours will be open from 4:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.
No passive use will be allowed, meaning beachgoers can not bring a towel and umbrella to post up on the sand for a beach day. Active use such as walking, jogging, surfing or swimming are allowed.
Parking restrictions will also be eased, with the 1st, 8th, and 10th streets beach parking lots reopen at 50 percent capacity, following guidelines in place at most other beaches. All cities, state and county beaches have opened up parking lot closures in some capacity, except San Clemente, where lots and nearby street parking remains closed.
Laguna Beach also maintains stricter hours on weekends, with active use on Saturday and Sunday allowed only until noon, when the beaches close.
The rules at Seal Beach are consistent with others in the area and follow guidelines approved by the state after Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a hard closure of all 42-miles of coastline a few weeks ago.
The city also opted to give greater access to Gum Grove Park, a popular nature park at the edge of the Los Cerritos Wetlands. The park will be open from dawn until dusk, seven days a week. Like the coast, the park will open only for active recreation and not for passive uses such as picnicking, loitering, sitting, standing or stopping, the city announcement reads.
Parking will be open at both entrances off Avalon Drive and Seal Beach Boulevard at Heron Point.
For more information, go to sealbeachca.gov for details.
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May 20, 2020 at 11:43PM
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