State Closes Parking Along Revere Beach

In an effort to better pro­mote social distancing and curb gathering of more than 10 people Gov. Charlie Baker issued an emergency order last Friday requiring all coastal beach reserva­tion parking areas managed by the Department of Con­servation and Recreation (DCR) to close.

The order applied to parking on the northbound ocean side of Revere Beach Parkway and by Friday morning traffic cones and signs directed drivers away from the beach’s parking area.

Gov. Baker said the or­der was to further reduce large concentrations of peo­ple at beaches during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Revere Beach will re­main open and available to pedestrians for transitory use only, i.e. walking, jog­ging, biking, solitary fish­ing, etc.

Additionally, DCR’s agency-owned playgrounds and bathroom facilities like the ones at Revere Beach will remain closed until Monday, May 4.

Mayor Brian Arrigo again took to Revere Beach Boulevard Monday after­noon in the Mobile City Hall van, using a bullhorn to urge the public to abide by social distancing guide­lines and take the increase in cases in Revere seriously.

“We’ve been doing ev­erything we can to urge residents to do their part by staying home and abiding by social distancing guide­lines when they must go out,” said Arrigo. “There needs to be a communi­ty-wide effort if we are go­ing to slow this concerning trend in Revere.”

Arrigo, Gov. Baker and the DCR continue to stress that if Revere Beach or oth­er area parks are crowded, visitors should consider visiting a different location or returning at a later date or time. The Governor and DCR also advises visitors of state parks to:

• Stay within solitary or small groups, and avoid gatherings of ten or more people;

• Practice social distanc­ing of at least six feet be­tween individuals;

• Participate in only non-contact recreational activities;

• Practice healthy per­sonal hygiene, such as handwashing for at least 20 seconds; Stay home if ill, over 70, and/or part of a vulnerable popula­tion.

To centralize COVID-19 updates that impact the state parks system, DCR recently developed a Mas­sachusetts State Parks COVID-19 Updates web­page. Prior to visiting a state parks property, mem­bers of the public should review the contents of the webpage. Furthermore, for information about the Bak­er-Polito Administration’s ongoing efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, please visit the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) website.