Carlsbad Bans Parking Along Coastline Due To Coronavirus

CARLSBAD, CA — The city of Carlsbad is prohibiting parking along nearly six miles of state-owned coastline after people have continued to gather at the beach despite public health guidelines and orders to slow the spread of coronavirus. The no parking rule went into effect at 5 a.m. Friday.

Carlsbad closed the northernmost beach controlled by the city on March 23 and has made formal requests that the state follow suit with beaches under its jurisdiction. To date, the state has closed beach parking lots, but not the beach. Most other beaches in the county are closed, resulting in a huge influx of people from miles around to the beaches in Carlsbad.

"We are in the middle of a serious public health emergency, and the city of Carlsbad is going to do everything we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19," Carlsbad City Manager Scott Chadwick said.

Don't miss the latest coronavirus updates in San Diego County. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

Over the past two weeks, the city's police department has put up signs, handed out hundreds of informational fliers, and had officers at the beach encouraging compliance with the health orders.

In spite of these efforts, city officials have continued to observe and document instances of people gathering and not maintaining 6 feet of distance from each other.

County public health officials said Wednesday that the county is still in the early days of the outbreak, and April will be a critical month for following all health directives. Otherwise, officials warn that COVID-19 cases requiring hospitalization and ventilators will outpace local health care capacity, leading to significantly more deaths from the new virus.

The no parking rule includes the east and west sides of Carlsbad Boulevard from Pine to La Costa avenues, Ponto Drive and Ponto Road. City crews will put up signs and barricades in the affected areas.

Carlsbad declared a local emergency March 16. This action gives the city manager — acting as the director of emergency services — the authority to take immediate steps to protect health and safety. The City Council will be asked to approve the parking ban by adopting an urgency ordinance at its next meeting on Tuesday.

Carlsbad police will enforce the new rule with citations that carry fines starting at $50.

Related coverage:

• Carlsbad Closes Beaches, Parks And Trails Due To Coronavirus
• Face Coverings Urged As Coronavirus Cases Rise In San Diego
• San Diego Authorities To Crack Down On Stay-At-Home Violators
• Listen To Stay-Home, Social-Distance Mandates: San Diego County Sheriff
• Supervisors Put Moratorium On Evictions For Residents, Small Businesses
• California Coronavirus Latest: Updates On Cases, Orders, Closures