Opening the Beaches – An opinion

Fernandina Beach City Commissioner Chip Ross

Submitted by Commissioner Chip Ross

City of Fernandina Beach, FL

April 19, 2020

Recently the Governor closed the parks and ocean beaches located on the north and south of the island because of a public health emergency – the COVID 19 virus. The City of Fernandina Beach City Commissioners and Nassau County Commissioners concurred with that assessment and closed the remaining ocean beaches. The Chief of Police, Nassau County Sherriff and the Nassau County Health Officer all supported those decisions.

Since those closings, the legitimate question of when and under what circumstances will the beaches be opened have been posed by many citizens. 

After reviewing the medical literature and scouring the internet for expert guidance my conclusion is there are many varying opinions. No one really knows what the effect of opening the beaches will have on the rate that people get sick in Nassau County. No one has ever done this before.

Social distancing, including closing restaurants, bars, parks and the beaches seems to be working in Nassau County and seems to have significantly decreased the predicted rapid spread of COVID 19 experienced in other areas. It appears we have been successful in not overwhelming our medical facilities. How much of that “curve flattening” can be attributed to closing of the beaches is unknown. 

Another source of spreading the virus on beaches is objects contaminated by infected persons. This has not been extensively discussed.  Coronavirus on benches, trash cans, beach walkover railings and other frequently touched surfaces may last for 2-3 days. These surfaces are not getting cleaned. If you touch these surfaces and then touch your face you may become infected. How much this contributes to the overall infection rate is unknown. 

It is clear that by closing all the beaches on the island, the Governor not allowing vacation rentals, and the closing of many lodging establishments the number of visitors to the island has dramatically declined. Our beaches are public under Florida law. If they are open to one, they are open to all. The beaches act as a magnet to bring many more people to the island. The more people arriving at this time, the higher the chance of spreading COVID 19 in our community. Reopening the beaches will most likely draw a large amount of people to the island. 

“Due to the highly infectious nature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (referred to here as the COVID-19 virus), the Surfrider Foundation and numerous other outdoor recreation groups are encouraging supporters to stay home to avoid contributing to the spread of the virus.’ Surfrider Foundation

https://www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog/entry/the-beach-and-covid-19-understanding-the-risks

The number of cases in Nassau County, Florida of COVID 19 continues to rise. The true incidence in not known.  Adequate testing is not available. Much of our knowledge about COVID 19 continues to evolve and change. 

Many believe that everyone who uses the beach will stay far enough apart so that there will be no increased risk of increasing the rate infection. Viewing pictures of the recent opening of the Jacksonville beaches shows that at least some people will not follow appropriate distancing. Do we expose our lifeguards, beach patrol and police officers to more opportunity for close contact with beach goers?  How many will get infected, infect others and die because of the opening of the beach may be negligible or it may be significant. 

The Governor and the Florida Health Department have far greater access to experts and resources to determine when the beaches no longer need to be closed.  When the Governor agrees to open the two island ocean front parks and the County Health officer certifies use of beaches is not a health hazard to the general public, it would seem to me the beaches should be opened. 

Your comments are appreciated. I can be reached at cross@fbfl.org.