County of Ventura: COVID-19 Update April 24, 2020

Good Evening, Here’s your daily update on COVID-19 from the County of Ventura.

• 11 new cases
• 476 total cases
• 255 recovered cases
• 25 in the hospital
• 7 in the ICU 
• 8,503 people tested
• 16 deaths

Beach Update

Soft closures at County of Ventura, City of Port Hueneme, City of Oxnard and City of Ventura Beaches. Basically, you must keep moving. No sunbathing, chairs, blankets, coolers, sun shade umbrellas. You must keep moving walking, running, surfing and swimming. Please follow social distancing guidance. Gatherings are prohibited unless you are with members of your household. 

A message from the County of Ventura Harbor Director:

Residents who visit County of Ventura-managed beaches will be limited to essential physical activity such as walking, jogging, swimming and surfing while practicing social distancing guidelines, the Ventura County Harbor Department announced. 

Harbor Department Director Mark Sandoval said residents who want to visit Hollywood, Silver Strand, and Kiddie beaches will not be allowed to sit, lounge, or gather. Gatherings are prohibited by the Stay Well At Home Order issued by Ventura County Public Health Officer Dr. Robert Levin.

Director Sandoval said the move is consistent with soft closure guidelines set forth by neighboring beaches in the cities of Port Hueneme, Oxnard, and Ventura in the past week. Prior to moving to soft closure guidelines, County of Ventura-managed beaches were open to the public provided social distancing requirements were met and gatherings were limited to households. 

“With the weather heating up and beaches being unavailable in Los Angeles County, our beaches have gathered quite a bit of attention,” Director Sandoval said. “It was apparent with large crowds at the beaches this week and we anticipate more people planning to visit this weekend, particularly from outside of Ventura County.”

Harbor Department staff and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department will increase patrolling of the three beaches to ensure the soft closure guidelines are being met. 

“Not following these soft-closure guidelines may result in our County-managed beaches being shut down for the foreseeable future,” Director Sandoval said. 

Parking lots and bathrooms at the three beaches will remain closed.

View today’s joint press conference on beach enforcement at https://vimeo.com/411617073.

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