Earlier today, Governor Newsom announced that he was ordering the hard closure of all beaches in Orange County.
“The mandate to close all beaches in Orange County clearly impacts us here in Huntington Beach, and we are both concerned and disappointed with the actions taken today by Governor Newsom and the State of California,” said Mayor Lyn Semeta. “The City has put careful thought and invested considerable effort and expense in order to discourage overcrowding and facilitate effective social distancing at our beaches. In fact, we’ve taken Governor Newsom’s words to heart in Huntington Beach, to provide public access – in a safe way – so that our residents can experience physical and mental health benefits from accessing the Pacific Ocean. Our experience here locally has been that most people are being responsible and complying with social distancing, and given that Orange County has among the lowest per-capita COVID-19 death rates in California, the State’s action today seems to prioritize politics over data.”
According to the Sacramento Bee (https://www.sacbee.com/article242363226.html), among the 12 largest counties in California, Orange County has the third lowest COVID-19 death rate, at 1.30 deaths per 100,000 residents.
The Mayor and the City Council will be holding an emergency meeting at 5 P.M. to review a response to the Governor’s order to close all beaches in Orange County, and the City will be providing additional information and updates as that information becomes available.
In the meantime please visit the City’s COVID-19 website, www.hbready.com or contact our City Services Call Center at (714) 536-5511 for additional details.
