VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – The nice weather over the weekend brought a lot of people out to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, despite certain restrictions still in place under Virginia’s stay-at-home order.
It’s not clear when beaches might reopen, but city Mayor Bobby Dyer is hoping the Resort City will be given the chance to show it can be done safely.
“People are anxious to get out and get back to the beach and get healthy again,” Dyer said.
That was evident over the weekend as hundreds of people soaked up the sun at the Oceanfront. Plenty of people filled the boardwalk, and some crowds could be seen lingering near restaurants offering to-go service. This prompted Virginia Beach Police to issue a reminder about social distancing.
Gov. Ralph Northam hasn’t said what phase of reopening the state beaches will fall into.
“At least we got an indication that there will be opening of businesses on [May] 14. We did not get an exact clarification on the beach opening, but we’re in the process of trying to get that clarified right now,” said Dyer.
Dyer is hopeful it’ll happen by Memorial Day weekend, even if that means limited capacity.
“With that being said, the beaches are going to be critical, especially to the hotel industry,” he said.
Dyer said it’s not only important for the economy but for mental health, too.
“I was out there over the weekend and you know, people were out there enjoying the sun and it seemed to be under control,” he said.
Dyer wants to prove that Virginia Beach can be compliant and he said the city is working on a plan to make it happen.
“Be assured when our beaches open, people will know they’re coming to a safe place,” he said.
Dyer said part of the city’s plan to ensure a safe beach reopening is enforcement of social distancing and limiting crowds to 10 people.
Virginia Beach Police said officers are patrolling the beach and addressing any stay-at-home order violations as they see them. They’re aiming for compliance rather than citations and have only issued four citations so far.
