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Beaches fill up quickly on first weekend back open

Clearwater PD Chief Daniel Slaughter said there were about 6,000 people at the beach Saturday but added people were following the new rules.

CLEARWATER, Fla. — As Florida begins to reopen, some of you have had questions about COVID-19 and the beach. 

Some people wondered if the coronavirus can spread in the ocean. Experts have found that COVID-19 can live for a short time in the water but the larger the body of water, the more diluted the virus becomes. So, no, it's not something you really need to worry about in the ocean. 

Others have asked, "Do I need to wear a mask when going to the beach?"

C.D.C. guidelines say you should wear a mask when you are "in public settings where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain." 

So, as long as you're giving yourself plenty of space, you should be fine. But while walking from your car and setting up, it's recommended you wear one.

And, what about going to the beach as a group? The C.D.C. guidelines still say no more than 10 people in a group, and that applies at the beach. 

So, you can, as long as it's a small group, and you're all staying at least six feet away from other groups. 

Some people have recommend drawing lines in the sand around your area to make sure other people don't get to close. Others got creative earlier this week and used seaweed.

To make sure social distancing rules are being followed, police and the sheriffs office closed access points when parts of the beaches got too crowded. The sheriff's office tells 10News there were no arrests or citations on their beaches Saturday night, and Clearwater's police chief says people were following the rules out there as well.

"We’re seeing exactly what we expected. We’re doing our best to take advantage of every inch of sand we have available to the public. So far, the public has been very good at complying with social distancing rules. We've had areas of the beach that have gotten pretty congested, so we shut down access points, and direct people to areas that are available." Chief Daniel Slaughter told 10News.

Clearwater PD estimates that Saturday around noon Clearwater Beach had around 6,000 people on the beach. Their capacity is around 10,000.

Officers say they're using aerial images and officers on the ground to make those estimations.

To track how full Pinellas Co. beaches are in real time, go here

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