The Main Beach in Santa Cruz is shown June 20 around 6pm, an hour after the beaches opened following the 11am to 5pm closures that were in place at the time.
County health officials lifted the beach closures on Friday, saying they had “become impossible for law enforcement to continue to enforce.”
The county’s beaches were closed starting in May from 11am to 5pm daily except for certain water-based activities like surfing and swimming. Lounging on the beach was prohibited at all times. The rules were intended to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Throughout the beach closures, people continued to flock to local beaches with ice chests, umbrellas, tents and blankets in tow.
See more from the Santa Cruz in Photos series.
