5 Orange County Beaches to Reopen With Limitations

Five beaches in Orange County — Huntington Beach, Dana Point, Seal Beach, Laguna Beach and San Clemente — will be allowed to reopen with limitations, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced this week.

On Monday, Laguna Beach and San Clemente officials got the green light to reopen their respective beaches after submitting a proposal to Sacramento detailing various physical distancing measures they’d implement to protect visitors. And on Tuesday, Huntington Beach, Dana Point and Seal Beach were given the go-ahead. Newport Beach — where a city councilman has sued Newsom over the closures — still remains closed.

Last week, Newsom ordered the closure of all public beaches in Orange County after visitors crowded the beaches and defied physical distancing orders to enjoy a warm weekend. The order was met with swift backlash by O.C. officials and residents, some of whom protested in crowds at Huntington Beach last Friday.

*Also Read:* Protesters Crowd Huntington Beach Day After Newsom Orders Closure of All O.C. Beaches (Video)

The Orange County Board of Supervisors also voted on Tuesday to send a plan to Sacramento for reopening all of the county’s beaches for active recreation, according to the Los Angeles Times.

When he first announced the closures, Newsom said he expected them to be a “short-term adjustment.”

“We got to make sure we get this right. Why undo all the great progress? Let’s move this state forward together,” he said at the time.

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