Beaches in the towns of Scarborough and Old Orchard Beach will be open for recreation Wednesday. That is a change from a walking-only rule the towns had put into place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
On their web sites, both towns are asking people to practice social distancing and limit the size of their gatherings in line with state guidance.
But Old Orchard Beach Town Manager Larry Mead says given the size of the beach there, and the number of entrances, enforcing those restrictions is both impracticable and, he hopes, unnecessary: “There’s a lot of room for people, but it’s also a significant challenge for us to enforce any restrictions because of the number of entry points there are.”
Mead says it is not clear what the towns will do if people do not adhere to the parameters. “It’s an advisory, we’re advising people to be respectful and considerate of each other,” Mead says. “I think some people will and some people won’t, and we’ll advise them to respect others.”
Scarborough is also planning to open municipal parking lots to full capacity on the basis that it's better for people to park in those lots than drive through the neighborhoods looking for spots.
