SE North Carolina News

Normally, April would bring spring tourism and people looking to soak up the sunshine on the beach in the town of Surf City. This year, the public beach access points are closed, along with local restaurants and shops.

In late March, councilmembers voted to approve a state of emergency and closed the local beach access points. The decision was largely based on beachgoers who were disregarding social distancing requirements. Many local towns and beaches in the Cape Fear region followed suit. College students were in the midst of enjoying their extended spring break when the announcement came.

"We understand the weather is enticing people to want to access the beach during this time. The decision to shut down our 36 public beach access, public parking lots, and parks was implemented in efforts to reduce the number of visitors coming into town," the town said in a statement on its website. "This strategy has been extremely successful in achieving that goal. We take this pandemic seriously and hope everyone in our community does too. Please do your part in social distancing, limiting your travel, and quarantining when possible."