Long Beach Moves Away From 'Literal Capacity Restrictions'

LONG BEACH, NY — To paraphrase "Field of Dreams," "If you open it, they will come."

COVID-19 is getting under control this summer with millions of people getting vaccinated, and many of them are planning to enjoy the beach. One of those hot weather venues is the Long Beach boardwalk.

One "hot" topic has been a push by local lawmakers to get the state to permit full capacity for beaches.

"[We're] moving away from literal capacity restrictions and pointing in the direction of usable space," Joe Brand, Long Beach Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, told Patch.

But, the city will maintain social distancing for separate groups in the sand.

"Call it 100 percent. Call it whatever you want," Brand said. "We're going to sell as much of the real estate as we can."

Beyond the sand and water, Brand and his staff still had to figure out the best plan for people congregating, including at the public buildings.

"Have you received your vaccines? If not, here's a mask," Brand said. "[That's] the direction we're probably going to go in."

Brand has a "pre-season" with Long Beach weekends only until the end of June.

"It gives us time to reflect on what went well, what didn't go well, what has to be addressed immediately or status quo, everything is fine," he said. "There's a constant re-evaluation of staffing, procedure [and] operations."