Just stay away
Re “Time to open all beaches,” column, April 30, and “The sand, waves and sun are not worth people’s lives,” column, April 29
When I read the opening paragraph of George Skelton’s column, I thought he was being sarcastic. Not Trump sarcastic, but seasoned journalist sarcastic. Nope. Skelton’s reminiscence of his parents meeting at a Ventura beach party in the 1920s compared to the hordes of people gathering at California beaches during a pandemic in the 2020s has to be one of the worst reasons of all time for opening up our beaches.
Our beaches are still going to be here after this pandemic is gone. Unfortunately, there will be people whose next trip to the beach will be in an urn.
If going to the beach is perfectly safe and you should forget about wearing masks when you go because “one of the ocean’s appeal is breathing in that salt air drifting in on a soft breeze,” then remember, that breeze could be carrying the coronavirus.
No, Gov. Gavin Newsom doesn’t need any “beach time.” He needs to help keep all Californians alive.
Paula Del
Los Angeles
Thanks to Skelton for his fine column before Newsom decided to close all beaches in Orange County. I was so glad to see it after his fellow columnist Steve Lopez chastised everyone who went to Huntington Beach last week to enjoy a hot sunny day on the sand.
I was at the beach last weekend, and I can tell you that the people there actually weren’t close to each other. Frolicking on the beach is a danger to no one.
Lopez is a cheerleader for giving beach access to foot-stomping crowds to every last protected and hidden cove. So I was surprised when he lectured us not to go for once.
I’m with Skelton on this one.
Michael Forrest
Huntington Beach
The L.A. Times’ coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic has been comprehensive and exemplary, but Skelton’s column was outright irresponsible.
There is no “right” to a day at the beach, and the proposed solution to have staff members keep people apart is hazardous and unworkable; ask any lifeguard.
As for data, Skelton is invited to consult the epidemiologists who have united behind the science and come to a single conclusion: Stay the hell at home. Quarantining is a pain, but it’s tolerable and saves lives.
The sooner we get through it, the faster we can enjoy our beautiful outdoors.
Lee Bridges
Los Angeles
Skelton is right. Newsom needs to chill out and dip his toes into the Big Blue and breathe some fresh salty air.
If all the beaches from Ventura to San Diego were open, there’s a better chance of social distancing because — what a concept — there’s more space to spread out.
Scott Marshutz
Dana Point
The coronavirus is doing something odd to the Southern California psyche. We’re not just getting used to the virus and its protocols, we’re getting used to dying, accepting it somehow as collateral damage on the road to normality.
In rushing to our beaches, not wearing masks and otherwise flouting the rules, we’re in denial, and what we’re denying could kill us. This virus has already killed more than 1,000 people in Los Angeles County alone. Experts say a second wave of infections is inevitable.
We must follow the
experts’ prompts to survive this pandemic: Stay six feet apart, wear a mask, and spray our hands with sanitizer and our minds with plain common sense. Saul Isler
Los Angeles