Thousands of people descended on Galveston Saturday, the day after beaches reopened since being closed more than a month amid the outbreak of COVID-19.
By noon, the main roads and highway exits were lined with cars, and throngs of beach goers walking through occasional stretches of standstill traffic.
Nearby, many drank or ate lunch at restaurant patios overlooking the public beaches.
Eric and Charlotta Rollins live in the area and said that they’ve waiting weeks to return to the beach.
They underestimated how many others had felt the same — until earlier in the day, when they stopped at a Bucee’s nearby that was packed with people.
“Apparently we weren’t the only ones with this idea,” Eric Rollins joked as he walked toward the water with a cold beverage in hand.
The throngs of people did not dampen their mood, however.
“You can’t beat it,” said Charlotta Rollins. “It feels so great to be outside again.”
Others voiced similar sentiments.
“It feels liberating,” said Tara Greer, who also lives nearby.
Masks were few and far between, and there were a few larger groups that had clearly surpassed the 10-person threshold that public health experts have recommended as a way to stem the spread of the virus.
However, most beach goers appeared to be abiding by social distancing rules, as was reportedly the case one day prior.
Beaches were reopened following Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to restart, in phases, parts of Texas’ economy including restaurants, movie theaters, malls and some other businesses. Bars and gyms remain shuttered.
Abbott’s executive order called for a phased-in reopening of most sectors of the economy, and the governor has said places of business should remain at 25 percent capacity.
The reopening of beaches has also been a lifeline for many restaurants in the area.
At Flip Flops Bar and Grill, they’ve been “really, really slammed” since reopening on Friday, general manager Charlie Rightly said.
The restaurant is, like others, operating at lowered capacity right now, but Rightly said there haven’t been any issues and that customers have been understanding of the limitations faced by staff.
That wasn’t a surprise to Rightly — after the last few weeks, it’d be hard to get upset about minor inconveniences.
“Everyone has been really, really reasonable and really, really friendly,” he said. “Everybody is just happy to be outside again.”
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