How COVID will affect Manly Beach in Spring

With the weather warming up, and temperatures beginning to soar, Manly and Northern Beaches sun lovers will be looking to flock to their favourite sandy destinations this spring.

With Manly beach being one of the most popular hot spots in the Northern Beaches, many residents and suburb visitors alike may be wondering; will they be able to enjoy their favourite seaside sanctuary this Spring? 

As it stands, the answer is yes. Since April, COVID-19 restrictions have been easing off gradually from the complete closure of beaches to having them now fully open once more to the public. Of course, it goes without saying that any restrictions in relation to COVID are liable to change and these easing of restrictions could easily be reversed once more if case numbers once again begin to soar. 

With all this uncertainty, the only thing we can be sure of is the measures we can act as the wider public to ensure our beaches remain open for all of us to enjoy in the upcoming months. 

1. Wear a mask  Towel - check, swimmers - check, sun cream - check, mask - check. It may seem like an alien concept to wear a face mask to the beach, but this simple addition to your beach day checklist could be massively aiding in the halting of the spread of COVID-19. To back this statement up The World Health Organisation has come out and said that they advise “governments to encourage the general public to use non-medical fabric masks” to aid in the fight against the spread of COVID -19. 
   
   
2. Travel in small groups. Although the current limitations (as of the 21st of September 2020) are that you are allowed to travel in groups of up to 20 people to public beaches like Manly, that does not necessarily mean you should. Be smart. If you can avoid bigger groups, the smart thing to do is to travel in the smallest groups possible. 
   
   
3. Keep your distance. Even it means an extra walk and scope of the beach, try your best to remain isolated from other beachgoers. If there doesn’t seem to be adequate space, it may be worth looking to make the short walk/drive to one of the other beaches close by (Freshwater Beach, Shelly Beach, Curl Curl Beach). 
   
   
4. Stay away at peak times. If at all possible stay away from the beach at peak times (Saturday to Sunday 10 AM - 3 PM). If you have the luxury of only being a short trip from Manly Beach try and get your beach fix outside peak times when social distancing is easier to adhere to. 

To finish, it’s all about being smart citizens going forward. As a country, we have been showing positive signs and we all strongly hope this will continue so we may all enjoy the world-famous beaches that are only stones through away from North Sydney-siders.