Groton — As the weather warms up and summer draws closer, people are asking: Will Eastern Point Beach open as usual?

With social distancing requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic, Groton City Mayor Keith Hedrick said he doesn’t know the answer yet but wants to hear people’s ideas.

He recently shared that message in a video posted on social media, in which he invited the public to reach out with comments.

The topic has sparked a flurry of opinions on social media, running the gamut from people wanting to close the beach for the season, to others hoping to keep it open as always, to those with ideas somewhere in between. Some suggested the city have people sign up for time slots, hold a lottery for residents or rope off certain areas.

In a phone interview, Hedrick said he’s evaluating several options but the decision also will depend on what the state and surrounding municipalities do and the course of the virus.

He said one option is to keep the beach as it is currently during the offseason: People could access the beach, but the concession stand would be closed and no lifeguards would be on duty. The city could cap the number of people allowed on the beach, he said.

Another option is to open the beach for the season and sell passes to control the number of people coming in, he said. The city would staff the beach with lifeguards, but would have to determine if it would open the concession stand and what would be the maximum capacity allowed at any one time. With social distancing requirements, Hedrick estimates the beach could probably hold 200 people.

The city is considering selling beach passes to only town and city residents, or to only city residents, he said.

A 2001 legal ruling from a lawsuit against Greenwich found that municipalities could not limit beach access to only residents. Hedrick said he has consulted with his attorney about restricting beach access to residents only during the pandemic and is awaiting a resolution.

Hedrick's decision also will depend on the course of the virus, he said. Patrick Green, president and chief executive officer of Lawrence + Memorial and Westerly hospitals, recently said that he projects a peak of cases at L+M around the second week of June.

“We still have new cases that are happening every day,” Hedrick said. As of Friday, the City of Groton had 17 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases, according to Ledge Light Health District. State data released Wednesday shows Groton overall has had 88 cases.

Hedrick said pushing out the date the beach typically opens — June 20 — to later in the season also is on the table.

He said he’s consulting with city staff, local officials, the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, the governor, Ledge Light Health District and the state Department of Public Health.

If municipalities in the region, including those in Rhode Island, started shutting their beaches, he said he would have a hard time having Eastern Point Beach open. Locally, East Lyme is restricting its beaches to residents only, while Old Lyme and Waterford closed their beaches, The Day has reported.

Groton Town Manager John Burt said no decisions have been made yet regarding Esker Point Beach. “We’re still reviewing options and hoping for some more guidelines from the governor,” he said.

Social distancing at issue

The nice weather last weekend brought people out to Eastern Point Beach, with some social distancing better than others, Hedrick said. Groups of kids from different families also were playing together, which ends up being problematic in light of the virus.

“The challenge is how do you tell a 3-year-old that you can’t go play with another 3-year-old?” Hedrick asked. “We’re all social beings. Social distancing is going to be the biggest challenge that we’re going to have.”

If a person with COVID-19 who may not be exhibiting any symptoms comes to the beach, that person could spread the virus to other groups of people, Hedrick said.

The city looked at options to promote social distancing, including laying out grids on the beach, but he said he’s not sure how practical that is. He said he’s not planning to pursue temperature checks, because people could be asymptomatic and not have a fever but still be a carrier.

Hedrick said he’s leaning toward having people wear masks as they walk from their vehicle to where they set up their beach towel. If they then stay in place and are social distancing, they no longer would need to wear the mask.

People can share ideas with the mayor about Eastern Point Beach by calling (860) 446-4103 or emailing mayor@cityofgroton-ct.gov.

k.drelich@theday.com