‘A Typical Memorial Day Weekend’: Vacationers Flock to Pools, Beaches Despite COVID Concerns

People visit the beach during Memorial Day weekend on May 26, 2019 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. (Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

Vacationers broke free from their homes and headed to Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks and other sunny spots across the country, including beaches and boardwalks, for the Memorial Day weekend. Kicking off the unofficial start of summer, many had no intention of staying 6 feet apart nor wore masks, despite CDC guidelines in place as the country opens up.

The boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland, was packed with thousands of people on Saturday; however, groups of 10 or more were prohibited, and masks were recommended but not required by authorities, CBS reported.

Yet, very few did wear masks or practice social distancing, however, as reporter Mike Hellgren noted in a Twitter post.

Meanwhile, video taken of Osage Beach, Missouri, showed hundreds of people at a pool party, resembling pre-COVID crowds during Memorial Day weekend. KTVK anchor Scott Pasmore recorded and posted footage from Backwater Jack’s on Twitter of the event, dubbed “Zero Ducks Given.”

“No covid concerns at the lake of the ozarks,” the caption read.

“I was just blown away by how overcrowded it was, it looked like a typical Memorial Day weekend,” Pasmore told CBS in a screen call. “You wouldn’t have known there were any coronavirus fears anywhere. A pool like that holds 100 people and it had 200 people in it.”

The mayor of Osage Beach, John Olivarri, said that stay-at-home orders had expired weeks earlier, and now the obligation falls “on the individual themselves,” though he applauded those who didn’t feel comfortable and made the decision to “go somewhere else.”

Missouri governor Mike Parson’s reopening plan allowed gyms and hotel swimming pools to reopen at each city’s discretion. However, strict social distancing and sanitization guidelines were required.

St. Louis mayor Lyda Krewson called the crowds “deeply disturbing,” CBS reported.

Meanwhile, other vacation areas across the country were also packed, including Carolina Beach, North Carolina; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Daytona Beach, Florida.

Not everyone was impressed by the flagrant disregard for COVID containment measures, however. Many took to social media to air their disapproval.

On Twitter, disability advocate Peter Morley shared footage from Myrtle Beach with a caption that read, “CROWDS of people at Myrtle Beach today. No social distancing in sight. #TrumpDeathToll100K”

In another Twitter post, film maker Andy Ostroy called the behavior at Osage Beach “selfish and stupid” and “living in childish denial.”

Ocean City local Jennifer Parker also shared on Twitter:

“I live in Ocean City, MD. I haven’t left my home in nine weeks other than grocery shopping, and these people flock down here without a care in the world. Shocking!”