Officials in Gary, Indiana, announced Tuesday that beaches in the city will be closed for the next two weeks amid growing numbers of coronavirus cases in the city.
In a statement released Tuesday, city officials said that attempts to promote social distancing at city beaches weren’t enough to curtail coronavirus numbers, and that is the reason they are shuttering the beaches and surrounding parking lots for several weeks.
“We must move beyond the experimental plan, as unfortunate as it may be,” Gary Mayor Jerome Prince said in a statement. “We continue to see almost daily double-digit increases in our new COVID-19 positive cases. We also must ease the logistical strains on our public safety teams and our beach neighborhoods.”
The closure will go into effect Wednesday and will run for at least two weeks. All beaches and parking lots will be closed, along with Marquette Park shelters and parking lots, according to the press release.
Walking and cycling will still be allowed at Marquette Park.
The closure will be re-evaluated after two weeks, according to city officials. Gary police will be instructed to patrol the beaches and will order residents to leave if they violate the closure order.
