All Duval County beaches will be closed to the public beginning at 5 p.m. Friday.
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry made the announcement at a press conference at City Hall on Friday afternoon, saying he made the decision after consulting with the three beaches' mayors.
"If you're on the beaches after 5 p.m. today, it will be considered trespassing," Curry said Friday. "Police and lifeguards will be patrolling the beaches to make sure citizens are in compliance."
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Cury said the move is for everyone's safety and will help control the spread of coronavirus in Jacksonville.
"Even when the beaches don't look crowded and the tides are low, when the tides come in, the mayors of those beaches tell me, you can't help but not be able to social distance," Curry said. "It's like ants on a hill when the tides come in."
There will be signs at beach walkovers and access points to let people know about the closures. Some access points will be blocked off with barricades.
Brendan Rivers can be reached at brivers@wjct.org, 904-358-6396 or on Twitter at @BrendanRivers.
