Long Beach to restrict daily beach passes under summer beach plan

LONG BEACH, Long Island (WABC) -- Officials in the City of Long Beach said they will be restricting the number of daily beach passes this summer in an effort to control capacity. The decision on whether to stop selling passes will depend upon the crowd at the beach at any given time.

It's part of the beach plan the city will be submitting to the state for review by Wednesday. The plan will also include whether the boardwalk will reopen.

Some Long Beach summer season beach pass holders are concerned New York City residents will flood to Long Beach this Memorial Day weekend because the city beaches will be closed.

"We're so close to Far Rockaway people can just walk over the bridge and just flood this area," said Long Beach resident David Horvath.

The City of Long Beach began selling summer season passes Monday. People waited in a long line standing six feet apart and wearing masks outside the Robert L. Carroll Recreation Complex.

Under state guidelines, capacity at all beaches this summer must be kept at 50 percent.

"I don't know how they're going to social distance on the beach," said Mike Pizzano who was waiting in line for a season pass.

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said she respects New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's decision to keep the beaches closed.

"We're going to be ready. We're going to do everything we can to make sure that this is safe and that it's orderly and that it's 50 percent," Curran said.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced Monday that only county residents will be admitted to county beaches this Memorial Day weekend.

"It's my priority that Suffolk residents will have access to their beaches with COVID-19 safety rules in place," Bellone wrote on Twitter.

Smith Point County Park and Cupsogue Beach County Park are the only two Suffolk county beaches which will be open this weekend. Bellone said the county will try to open the other county beaches by the third week of June.