Visitors set to hit the beach but know it won’t be the same
After a stressful year, Terri Senter couldn’t be more ready for a beach vacation. But the coronavirus has thwarted her plans at every turn.
Senter and her husband, Gene, booked a trip from home in Indianapolis to Daytona Beach, Florida, for early May. When the chances of the city reopening by that point seemed remote, she rebooked for June 15, assuming the pandemic would have played out by then. Now with that date a few weeks away, she figures there’s still a heightened chance of contracting COVID-19. That’s a risk she’s unwilling to take as caregiver to her 90-year-old mother.
“I keep trying to tell myself so many people have it way worse off than we do,” said Senter, who worries she may lose the $1,000 in reservations she has plunked down already. “But that doesn’t discount my feelings. I am disappointed.”
Other families are facing the same tough decisions about their vacations this year.
A visit to the Eastern shore is a rite of summer for many. From Maine to Florida, Atlantic beach towns attract visitors ready to frolic in the waves, savor fries or frozen custard on the boardwalk or simply soak up rays under a beach umbrella.
But this year, fears of the coronavirus are throwing plans by the wayside.
The fears go beyond simply a higher risk of catching the virus. Inconsistent policies by states and communities are making it hard to plan as local officials decide how to best try to salvage economies while emerging from strict stay-athome orders.
Policies vary widely in some states, a hodgepodge of rules from one beach town to the next. In others, the states have rules in place that impede summer visitors.
In Rhode Island, Gov. Gina Raimondo said Scarborough and East Matunuck beaches would be the first to welcome beachgoers. But there will be restrictions. The number of parking spaces will be significantly reduced, bathrooms and concession stands will be closed, and there will be no lifeguards.
In Middletown, Rhode Island, the town administrator said details on how to handle summer beach visitors were still being worked out. “Each beach is different, and the town council needs to decide what’s best for Middletown,” Shawn Brown said in an email.
Tourism-related businesses have been stymied by a policy of requiring out-of-staters to self-quarantine for 14 days.
New York state beaches will reopen the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. In announcing the reopening, the state joins New Jersey, Delaware and Connecticut.
But expect to find new rules at any beach. Those flocking to Cocoa Beach, Florida, must not gather in groups of more than five and must stay at least 6 feet from other groups. Violators face potential $500 fines. Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina has limited groups to 10 and doesn’t allow sunbathing or just sitting – only “non-stationary exercise activities” like walking, jogging, swimming and surfing/water sports.
As summer nears, the restrictions could ease and the crowds will follow, beach town locals predict.
But if COVID-19 cases start to increase, the rules – and perhaps new ones – could be reimposed. Against that backdrop of uncertainty, families are having to lay bets about whether try to attempt their usual vacations.
Scott Kessler of Stuarts Draft, Virginia, and his family typically visit Virginia Beach several times a year. They stay at the Best Western Sandcastle on 13th Street. They always eat at Captain George’s Seafood Restaurant. They schedule their trips for August or September so they can attend an Old Dominion University football game.
This year, the plan was to go Sept. 4 to watch Old Dominion University play Wake Forest University, and then getting in some beach time. Facing COVID-19, Kessler is uncertain if that will happen.
“We’re likely going to wait to see what happens to the virus before we make any concrete plans,” Kessler said.
Kessler said they probably won’t eat at Captain George’s. They’ll still likely take a swim in the ocean, but do so while practicing social distancing.
Going to a crowded football game is a concern, but if the family goes, Kessler said they’ll wear face masks.
Amie Michael of Mount Sidney, Virginia, usually goes with her family to Virginia Beach shortly after school is out for the year. She’s a teacher and with one child still in high school and another in college, it’s an end-of-school-year celebration. They’re waiting to see what happens.
“It has been booked for months,” she said. “We are still hoping to go but will cancel if the beach doesn’t open.”