The Governor of California, Gavin Newsom issued a "Shelter in Place" order on March 20, asking people to stay at home and not step out amid the coronavirus crisis. Despite the order, several people thronged the beaches of California with surfboards, hit hiking trails and soaked in the sun ignoring all the warnings issued to keep the pandemic at bay.
In response to the large crowds, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted that he's closing down sports and recreation centers across the city and will close down parks and beaches too and added: ''That doesn't mean gather elsewhere.'' He tweeted: ''This weekend we saw too many people packing beaches, trails and parks. So we are closing sports and recreation at @LACityParks and closing parking at city beaches. That doesn't mean gather elsewhere. This is serious. Stay home and save lives.'' The public must take self-responsibility, said Garcetti
Irked by the images of people having a good time at the beaches in Los Angeles, Mayor Garcetti said people must act more responsibly during these testing times and not pile unwanted pressure on doctors, nurses and medical personnel, as they're all counting on people to stay put at home and nothing else.
"More signs are going up at beaches and courts, and we will look to enforce more -- but our public safety teams are incredibly busy. We need the public to take self-responsibility and remember that our doctors, nurses and medical personnel are counting on us."
(https://twitter.com/MayorOfLA/status/1241908563590578177)
Florida also flouted rules and headed to the beach
California was not the only state in the US that ignored rules and headed to the beach. Florida residents congregated at beaches in large numbers and several of them even went a step ahead with boating and had crowded boat parties. As soon as pictures and videos of people flouting the shutdown order went viral, authorities placed a ban on boating and closed all its beaches.
(https://twitter.com/MayorGimenez/status/1241567407673671682)
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said he was disappointed to see people partying in large numbers inside a boat and stressed the fact that they need to act more responsibly during these testing times. "I am disappointed to see photos and videos on social media of boats close together and large groups of people congregating. We are in a state of emergency, and I cannot stress enough the need for personal responsibility," he said.
