Guidelines for beach re-opening told

Here are the latest guidelines from the City of Huntington Beach on the phased re-opening of city beaches.

Effective today, the City of Huntington Beach will be reopening our beaches and beach bike pathway for active recreation only.

“We’re delighted to be reopening our beaches for active recreation, which will allow our community to once again enjoy the recreational and mental health benefits from spending time at the Pacific Ocean,” said Mayor Lyn Semeta. “The new active recreation rules that we’re instituting will allow for continued beach access in a manner that emphasizes the need to practice safe social distancing.”

The decision to reopen the beaches in Surf City was made after extensive discussions with other local area cities and State representatives, including those at the California Natural Resources Agency and the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Of note, the State beaches (Huntington State Beach and Bolsa Chica State Beach) will also be reopening today with active recreation protocols consistent with those being implemented by the City.

Under the new active recreation regulations, the following protocols will be enforced at local beaches:

• Beaches will be open every day from 5 a.m. – 10 p.m.
• Only active recreation activities will allowed at the beaches
• Physical social distancing requirements are required
• Beaches (excluding those in Huntington Harbor) and beach pathways will be open
• Walking, running, hiking, bicycle riding, etc. (where normally allowed) will be facilitated
• Ocean will be open to swimming, surfing, bodysurfing, boogie boarding, kite surfing, paddle boarding, skim boarding, kayaking, and other similar ocean activities.
• Fishing will be allowed from the beach and other ocean access locations, in those places where fishing activities are normally allowed, so long as social distancing requirements are abided by.
• Within Huntington Harbor and all connected channels, active recreation such as kayaking, boating, and paddle boarding will be allowed.

Under the new active recreation rules, beaches and the ocean will be closed to passive games, loitering, sunbathing, and any gatherings of people (even if engaged in active recreation) outside of those within their immediate household.

Additionally, at this time, the following amenities at the beach will remain closed to facilitate enhanced social distancing practices:

• Huntington Beach Pier
• Beach playground
• Open grass and picnic areas adjacent to the beach bike path
• Huntington Harbor beaches will remain closed, including:
• DavenportBeach
• HumboldtBeach
• TrinidadBeach
• Seabridge Park Beach
• All harbor beaches along Pacific Coast Highway in Sunset Beach.

New signage highlighting the active recreation requirement at City beaches will be installed in the coming days. Of note, tampering with the signs is considered a misdemeanor subject to fines or arrest by the Huntington Beach Police Department.

In addition, the City will maintain enhanced communication with the public to share details about the active recreation rules, with City lifeguards and law enforcement personnel set to make hourly public announcements about the need to engage in active recreation and social distancing while at the beach.

The COVID-19 pandemic is constantly evolving, and the City is working to adapt to these changes and meet the needs of its community. As policies are updated or modified, they will be posted on the City’s HB Ready website at http://www.HBready.com. For questions about City policies and services, please call our Call Center at (714) 536-5511.