Changes Coming To RI State Beaches Following Busy Weekend

NARRAGANSETT, RI — Changes will be made at Rhode Island's state beaches after large crowds led to long lines and filled parking lots during the first official weekend of summer. The Department of Environmental Education is working to create new guidelines to be announced Wednesday, Gov. Gina Raimondo said Monday.

"We're trying to work through it," Raimondo said. "It was our first big summer weekend. ... Hopefully next weekend it will be a little bit smoother."

The first weekend of summer was a sweltering one in the Ocean State, with high humidity and temperatures topping out at or near 90 degrees.

On Saturday, approximately 25,000 people flocked to state beaches, Raimondo said, filling them to capacity by late morning or early afternoon. Crowds were slightly lower Sunday, around 15,000 people, though there were still long lines and high demand, Raimondo said.

Overall, Rhode Islanders behaved well at the beach, the governor said, though there were a few instances of crowding on the beach itself. DEM rangers approached groups higher than the current limit of 15 people or fewer and asked them to disperse.

"Some of the folks we asked to distance weren't as patient as we would have liked," Raimondo said, encouraging everyone to follow public health guidelines for their own safety and that of those around them.

At state parks, there were no major incidents over the weekend, Raimondo said, though the most popular, including Colt State Park and Lincoln Woods reached capacity.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, capacity at beaches and parking spaces have been limited to reduce crowding and encourage social distancing.

Patch editor Scott Souza contributed to this report.