VANCOUVER -- Vancouver police were out clearing beachgoers from the sandy shores of English Bay on Friday night.
For at least the second weekend in a row, people who were gathered on the beaches near Vancouver’s West End were subjected to police patrols after the beaches closed at 10 p.m.
“Another busy night on English Bay last night,” reads an email from the Vancouver Police Department’s Const. Tania Visintin.
The patrols come as the city enters the May long weekend under tight COVID-19 restrictions which prohibit people from gathering outside in groups larger than 10, and which prohibit night clubs and indoor dining. The restrictions also ban non-essential travel, with residents being advised to enjoy outdoor areas in their own cities.
Officers on-foot, as well as a police boat with a spot light were on scene.
Visintin said that officers estimate that around 9 p.m. there were about 500 people on the beaches.
“Officers started advising patrons the beach was closed at 10p.m. and by 11:30, English Bay to Sunset beach was cleared,” she said.
No arrests related to beach attendance were made, Visintin said.
Some of B.C.’s COVID-19 restrictions are set to expire at the end of the weekend, however health officials have offered few details on how the province will reopen.
