Phase 2 of the Governor’s reopening plan is now in effect. The Cape Charles Beach is now officially open.
Below is the Town’s full beach reopening plan:
This plan is designed to fulfill the requirements of Governor Northam’s Executive Order 65 Distancing Beachgoers will be limited to groups of no more than 50 individuals. All groups must be separated by a minimum of six feet. No entertainment or group sporting events will be permitted on the beach. Three seasonal employees have been hired to be beach attendants. There will be two attendants on duty during the weekends and one during the week between the hours of 9 am and 6 pm daily.
Attendant duties: • Monitor beach for safe distance practice, and other beach codes (i.e. dogs) • If a problem ensues, contact police officer to handle situation • Walking or motorized patrols every hour • Monitor life jacket station and clean after each use Attendant equipment: • Shade tent • High visibility shirts with town logo and reading “Attendant” • Cooler to provide them with ice and water • Possible UTV from public works • Radios to call on duty officer and other attendants.
Signage will be posted at each of the beach entrances, welcoming beachgoers but listing the distancing requirements and prohibitions. Normal signage will return on Route 13.
The primary high-touch areas are the restroom, LOVE sculpture, dolphin sculpture, and gazebo*. A contractor will be hired to clean and sanitize these areas every two hours between the hours of 9 am to 6 pm, seven days per week. A short-term procurement contract has been secured for three weeks while we bid out the remaining portion of this work for the summer.
An additional police officer will be scheduled on Saturdays and Sundays, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. All other times, the officer on duty will respond.
Police officer duties: • Assist beach attendants when needed • Patrol beach on ATV every hour on weekends (staggered ½ hour from attendants) • Assist on duty officer with any other calls for service when needed Should the beach become overcrowded, every other access point will be closed. The remaining entrances will be manned (with attendants or town staff) to better monitor the flow on and off the beach until overcrowding is mitigated.
Cost to implement – With implementation on June 5 and continuing until September 7, just over 13 weeks (14 weekends): • Cleaning Contractors • Beach attendants • Police officer • Signage and promotional materials • Supplies, fuel, misc. • Total estimated cost: $56,000 *Note: The gazebo must remain closed under phase 2 restrictions, but it is hoped this could be allowed under phase 3, so the gazebo was included in the scope of work for the cleaning contractor.