By: Bella Macleod
Executive Features Editor
Mass cancelations of events and the closing of public areas are taking place around the Southbay as cautionary steps to prevent the spread of the infectious disease, Covid-19, also known as the CoronaVirus.
California Governor, Gavin Newsom, issued a shelter in place order directing residents of California to stay home beginning on March 20, unless your work is considered to be ‘essential’, to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
“I think that closing public facilities and banning public gatherings is a necessary step to flatten the curve [of the spread of Covid-19], but it is obviously very disheartening,” Senior Kenna Horgan said. “However, we are all very lucky that California has taken such proactive steps.”
On March 19, The City of Manhattan Beach announced the temporary closing of the pier, all parks, fields, sports courts exercise equipment and recreational facilities effective immediately due to CoronaVirus concerns. Also, all beach parking lots including the ones located in El Porto and Bruce’s Beach has been closed down to all except those with residential parking permits.
“I think that the closing of these public places is going to be a difficult but necessary decision,” Senior Remi Pappas said. “[The United States] is now the country with the most Coronavirus cases and we should be willing to sacrifice this rather than prolong it by keeping the public places in order to return to normal as soon as possible.”
City officials said this action was likewise taken due to the large numbers of beachgoers last weekend in the Southbay. Health officials are suggesting people everywhere should maintain a distance of 6 feet apart from one another at all times.
“I think it’s a smart decision to close down the beaches because everyone’s very tightly packed around each other there and I understand why Manhattan Beach and the surrounding cities have made that decision,” Senior Tatum Hummer said. “It’s definitely a shock to teenagers in our town to have it taken away. [The Beach] is a place that we go to to be around our close friends and get away from the stress from school so it was just another shock about how serious the Corona Virus issue actually is.”
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