City increases patrol at beaches to prevent large gatherings

Mayor Bill de Blasio is enhancing patrols across city beaches as the weather warms up and summer approaches.

News 12 Staff

May 16, 2020, 6:08 PM

Updated 1,608 days ago

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Mayor Bill de Blasio is enhancing patrols across city beaches as the weather warms up and summer approaches.
Parks enforcement at Orchard Beach tells News 12 that people are allowed to be on the beach as long as they social distance.
No one is allowed in the water and barbecue areas and playgrounds remain closed.
De Blasio said Friday that "we're just not ready" for beaches to be open. He says beaches bring crowds and in New York City, beachgoers would be packing public transportation to get there if they were fully open.
The mayor says there will be a NYPD car in every police precinct to break up large gatherings. He says one of the biggest reasons for stepping up patrols at beaches this weekend is to ensure people don't try to swim.
Meanwhile, Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the state's public and private beaches can open next Friday with restrictions.
De Blasio suggested there is some hope that city beaches could open at some point this summer.
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