Long Beach Beaches closed after 8 pm beginning Thursday after huge crowds gathered ignoring social distancing

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The City of Long Beach, dealing with huge crowds on the beach and boardwalk who did not practice social distancing, announced Monday that beginning Thursday, beaches will be closed at 8 pm. and the boardwalk at 9 p.m.

About 1,000 people were gathered on the beach and the boardwalk Saturday night, until they were dispersed by the Long Beach police.

The city said in an announcement on Facebook that the latest change "will be in effect daily until further notice."

The city also said that it is now limiting the sale of non-resident daily passes to Monday through Thursday. Additional details are to be discussed at Tuesday's city council meeting at 7 pm.

Long Beach officials have been concerned about large crowds at the beach during the coronavirus pandemic and said more strict measures would be taken if crowds became too large. Beaches were closed after crowds rose to over 50 percent capacity.