Pandemic Memorial Day weekend brings out heat and crowds in San Francisco

While California maintains “Closed” signs on restaurants, bars, spas, and most of other holiday time-spenders, parks and beaches are two of the few things still left in the allowed spectrum. Despite a once-in-a-century pandemic, millions of San Francisco and Bay Area residents still showed up to meet the summer.

All of the iconic Golden Gate Park attractions remain closed since the shelter-in-place order was enacted. However, open areas and trails are still open to provide a place for activities allowed by the state, including walking, cycling and jogging. While the park had fewer attendees than any other Memorial Day weekend, some sidewalks and open space areas had enough visitors to leave little to no room for social distancing. Lines were seen in front of food trucks and bathrooms.

China Beach in the affluent Sea Cliff neighborhood offers arguably the most stunning views of Golden Gate Bridge, featuring million-dollar homes graciously standing on the background. Typically, you’ll see fewer crowds here than on any other beach in the city, but that was not the case for this Memorial Day. In the tight staircases and sidewalks, it was often impossible to maintain any distance. While most visitors were wearing masks and tried to keep away from others, some enjoyed themselves with no thought of the circumstances.

The official start of this summer left us wondering where do we go from here. As the search for a vaccine continues and some of the states re-open, CDC reminds that prevention is still the best (and only) treatment for the deadly novel coronavirus disease. Frequent hand-washing, wearing a mask and maintaining at least a 6-feet social distance remain our only shields in the fight with the virus.

Please check back for our video.

How did this Memorial Day weekend go in your city? Sign up for a free account and share your experience directly in our LiveFEED!

Photo courtesy of Vera Sauchanka, LiveFEED