No social distance here: Videos show Americans packing parks, beaches for Memorial Day

The coronavirus pandemic didn’t stop Americans from throwing social distancing to the wind to gather at beaches, parks and other public places over Memorial Day weekend.

Becky Woosley was one of thousands of fans who packed into Ace Speedway in North Carolina on Saturday, according to WGHP.

“We’re tired of being stuck in the house,” Woosley told the outlet. “I’m not afraid of this virus one bit.”

Others in attendance felt similarly.

“People been cooped up and they’re ready to get out,” Talmadge Coates, who was wearing a face covering, told The News & Observer of Raleigh. “I think they need to open this economy back up, too. And let people be smart about what they’re doing. I mean, we’re not dummies.”

The line to get into the speedway stretched 700 feet, The N&O reported, but at least one person got nervous as the crowd continued to swell.

Jewell Stewart, 70, told The N&O that she started out in the grandstands but moved to a picnic table behind the bleachers so she could sit alone. Stewart work a face mask, but said few around her did.

“I wasn’t comfortable at that point,” said Stewart, who’s from Lexington. “So I just left, and came out here to sit.”

Speedway co-owner Jason Turner told WXII that the venue admitted roughly 2,500 spectators — only half the speedway’s capacity.

Despite the large crowds, few people were seen wearing masks, WGHP reported.

“Not a lot of people showed up with masks on,” Turner told WXII. “A lot of people are ready to get back to normal. We spoke and the racing community answered.”

However, the lack of social distancing and adherence to safety measures has officials worried.

In a Sunday interview with Fox News, Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator, said she was “very concerned” about coronavirus spreading due to people not maintaining social distance while out and about for Memorial Day weekend, McClatchy News reported.

Still, several destinations saw social distancing go by the wayside as people gathered over the holiday.

Missouri

Bars and restaurants along Lake of the Ozarks were jammed with patrons over Memorial Day weekend, The Kansas City Star reported, just days after a coronavirus outbreak at a high school pool party in Arkansas.

Video of a pool party hosted at Backwater Jacks Tiki Bar showed groups of people crowded in the water, many without masks.

Owner Gary Prewitt said he anticipated 1,000 visitors over the holiday weekend, making social distancing difficult to enforce, according to KSHB.

“We don’t know who’s in groups, who’s in families. We expect them to do that on their own,” he told the outlet. “We won’t let large groups gather over 10, at least try not to, and speak to them to spread out a little bit more.”

Camden County Sheriff Tony Helms issued a statement after the video and others emerged, McClatchy News reported.

“Social distancing is not a crime and therefore the sheriff’s office has no authority to enforce actions in that regard,” the release said. “We expect residents and visitors alike to exhibit personal responsibility when at the lake. We also respect the right of citizens to move freely around the lake and take responsibility to protect themselves from an any expected dangers related to COVID-19.”

Maryland

Video taken on Sunday showed crowds strolling along the boardwalk in Ocean City.

“And just check out all the folks out here on the boardwalk. We got lots with masks on, and lots that don’t,” Robert Banach, who filmed the video, can be heard saying.

At the boardwalk, people were encouraged to wear masks and groups of 10 or more people were prohibited, yet local media outlet WJZ reported that the destination had been packed on Saturday afternoon.

“We have officers on horseback, foot patrol and vehicle patrol,” Ashley Miller with Ocean City police told the outlet. “If we do see groups of 10 or more, we remind them that it is a violation of the governor’s order. Depending on the situation, we would determine what kind of action would be taken.”

Visitors said they were happy to be out and about.

“We actually booked this two weeks ago,” Geraldine Lopez told WJZ. ”We were just hoping for the best. We wanted to get away, let the kids have some fun and not let this ruin such a big holiday. We just wanted to get away from Jersey!”

New Jersey

It was a similar story in New Jersey, where beaches reopened just in time for Memorial Day.

In Ocean City, the boardwalk was opened for walkers, runners and cyclists, WFMZ reported, who were urged to follow social distancing guidelines.

A timelapse video of the popular destination shows large crowds gathering throughout Monday.

Texas

On Saturday, a water park near Houston reopened in defiance of state orders, Storyful reported.

Big Rivers Waterpark said it would only open to 2,020 guests, according to a Facebook post. CEO & developer Monty Galland said staff would wear masks when interacting with the public, KPRC reported.

Monya McDaniel posted video of the park to Instagram, showing long lines and large groups of people, many without face coverings, waiting to enter.

“There are four lines for entry here at Big Rivers and we all just found out all the season pass holders need to be “re-processed” before we get in,” the post said. McDaniel added that “there is also a massive line out in the parking lot of non-season pass holders...”

Illinois

Hundreds of bikers attended a three-day Memorial Day party at Poopy’s Pub & Grub over the weekend, McClatchy News reported.

“It’s off the wall, the bikers are in full force and supporting us,” owner Keven Promenschenkel said, according to the report. “Of course, if you are worried about it then we don’t want you to come here.”

In early May, Promenschenkel sued Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker over coronavirus restrictions for businesses, arguing that Pritzker doesn’t have authority to issue such orders or penalize businesses that don’t comply, McClatchy reported.

Florida

In Daytona Beach, police said they had to break up a number of groups, including one of at least 200 people who had gathered on the street, ABC News reported. Some even jumped on a police car that was attempting to clear the road, police said.

No one was arrested, but Police Chief Craig Capri said he was “pissed off” by how many people weren’t taking social distancing seriously, ABC reported.

“We were trying to use our de-escalation techniques,” he said at a news conference, according to the outlet. “We were able to push everyone off the peninsula.”

In Clearwater Beach, several beaches had already reached capacity by 8:30 a.m. Saturday and were closed to new beachgoers, ABC reported. Three hundred officers were sent out to the county’s beaches, according to the outlet.

This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 1:26 PM with the headline "No social distance here: Videos show Americans packing parks, beaches for Memorial Day."