Newport Beach Communicating The Importance Of Social Distancing

Press release from the City of Newport Beach:

Beaches, parks, the boardwalk and popular walking areas in Newport Beach remain open and accessible, but it is imperative for everyone to practice social distancing by keeping at least six feet away from others when performing recreational and other activities outside of your homes.

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, on March 23, the City closed park amenities including playgrounds, fitness equipment, the dog park, baseball/soccer/multi-use fields, and basketball, tennis, pickleball, handball and volleyball courts. City parks, however, remain open. In addition, Back Bay Drive is now closed to vehicular traffic to enable recreational users more room to spread out and keep at least six feet of separation from others.

The City will be placing more signage in and around our community’s most popular recreational spaces this week to reinforce the importance for everyone to keep a minimum of six feet of space between themselves and people who not members of their households. We will also increase the messages about social distancing that we distribute through our website and social media channels and would greatly appreciate community members sharing those with their friends and neighbors. Further, we are closely monitoring high-visibility areas like the boardwalk and beaches and have increased the presence of Newport Beach Police Department personnel in these areas. Officers are explaining the Governor's Executive Order and encouraging the public to follow it. They are also talking to businesses operating in violation of the order and explaining why they must close.

Our approach is similar to what neighboring cities are doing and more importantly, it is in line with Governor Newsom’s expectations. He has not called for enforcement of the social distancing directive. Rather, he is asking Californian’s to self-regulate, use common sense and change our behaviors to conform with the Stay at Home Order and social distancing directive.

The City will continue to communicate, educate and encourage compliance with the Order.

This press release was produced by the City of Newport Beach. The views expressed here are the author’s own.