Many beaches in Texas have announced closures or restrictions ahead of the Fourth of July weekend to curb crowds as cases and hospitalizations related to COVID-19 soar.
The state health department reported 7,915 new cases on Thursday, heading into the holiday weekend.
Gov. Greg Abbott implemented a face mask mandate for counties that have more than 20 cases.
Face masks are required outdoors when the setting does not allow for 6 feet of physical distancing.
Galveston beaches
The City of Galveston started the trend, closing all of its beaches from July 3 through 6 from East Beach to San Luis Pass, including Jamaica Beach, KHOU reported.
No one will be allowed to enter the beach or be on the Seawall. Vehicle access points will be closed and there will be no parking along Seawall Boulevard. Go here for more details from the city.
Galveston County also announced all of its beach access points in unincorporated areas would be closed over the holiday weekend.
County officials announced they will accommodate those who booked a vacation rental in Bolivar:
"Due to the last-minute nature of the beach closure because of outside circumstances, the County is trying to accommodate those who have already rented vacation rentals on the Bolivar Peninsula for this weekend and provide some limited beach access," the county said.
Surfside Beach
South of Galveston, Brazoria County has announced their 13 miles of free beach on Follett's Island, along with Quintana, Surfside and Bryan beaches, will not be open to the public from 11 a.m. to midnight from July 4 through 6, the county said in a Facebook post.
Only those who live there, have rented a home or are staying at an RV campground on those islands will be able to access the beaches with proof of residency or rental.
Rockport Beach
All traffic is closed to Rockport Beach during the weekend of July 4, KIII reported. The closure is Thursday, July 2 at midnight through Tuesday, July 7.
A fireworks show is still scheduled, but officials are telling residents to enjoy the show from their homes or vehicles.
Mustang Island State Park
Guests can only enter the island/park if they have a reservation. All reservations are sold out.
Beaches in Kleberg County
Kleberg County, which is south of Corpus Christi and includes Padre Island, the county judge closed area beaches through July 11.
The Kleberg County order applies to North Padre Island beaches but does not include Baffin Bay or Cay de Grullo Beach, KIII reported.
Vehicular access is not allowed. People who want to swim can still get to the beach on foot.
Padre Island Seashore
All park beaches on the Padre Island National Seashore will be closed.
Corpus Christi
All city beaches by the bay and regional parks will be closed fro July 3 to July 7.
There will be no vehicular access to Corpus Christi beaches starting 6 a.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Tuesday.
South Padre Island
South Padre Island city beaches will remain open, but there are some rules on items like single-pole shades and non-single pole shades, KRGV reported.
The order is in effect through July 7.
