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Americans were eager to get their Summer started this weekend and they flocked to outdoor spaces over Memorial Day Weekend. After spending lots of time indoors, many were clearly eager to get outside and socialize again. And some did not seem to care much about social-distancing guidelines, leading to warnings about a possible resurgence of the coronavirus that has already killed almost 100,000 people across the country.
One set of images that spread like wildfire on social media involved partiers crowding together in a pool at the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. Locals said it was a notably big crowd. "It seems like everyone is having the same idea, to come to the lake to enjoy summer, because you can social distance at the same time," said a local who shot a time-lapse drone video of the boat traffic on the Lake of the Ozarks on Saturday.
No covid concerns at the lake of the ozarks😳 #loto pic.twitter.com/Yrb4UNM64u
- Scott Pasmore (@scottpasmoretv) May 24, 2020
Got these pictures sent from Lake of the Ozarks today. The business has a sign that calls for six feet of social distancing. It does not appear that request is being honored by patrons, or enforced by the business. The person who took the pictures noticed crowd while walking by. pic.twitter.com/7SDJi3eKnW
- Colin Jeffery (@colinjef) May 23, 2020
Visitors also crowded the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland. A photo shot by a Reuters photographer showed many people were not wearing face masks.
With the relaxing of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions, visitors crowd the boardwalk on Memorial Day weekend in Ocean City, Maryland. REUTERS Photo by Kevin Lamarque pic.twitter.com/jTLCizWwr4
- Jim Bourg (@jimbourg) May 23, 2020
A look at the Ocean City, Maryland boardwalk this afternoon. The sunny weather brought out the people. Masks are encouraged but not required. @wjz #memorialdayweekend2020 pic.twitter.com/rK3gCfoZNB
- Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) May 23, 2020
Lots of people also crowded beaches in Florida, with officials in the Gulf Coast closing beaches when they got full. Many who tried to go to the beach in the mid-afternoon ended up being turned away as beaches reached an "unprecedented level of closures." Although some praised the way many beachgoers appeared to be trying to maintain a safe distance, others weren't so optimistic. "I have never seen this many umbrellas," one beachgoer said. "This is not social-distancing at all. There's way too many people." There were also huge crowds in Daytona Beach, where a shooting erupted after some 200 people gathered in the streets.
VIDEO: Some of today's events (Saturday, 5/23) in Daytona Beach: https://t.co/GimwPWmE1n
- Volusia Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) May 24, 2020
As people tried to enjoy the unofficial start of the Summer and President Donald Trump celebrated that "cases, numbers and deaths are going down," other White House officials emphasized that people still needed to be careful. Stephen M. Hahn, the Food and Drug Administration commissioner, warned on Twitter that the coronavirus " is not yet contained." Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, said she was "very concerned" about scenes of people crowding together over the holiday weekend. "We really want to be clear all the time that social distancing is absolutely critical. And if you can't social distance and you're outside, you must wear a mask," she said on ABC's This Week.
With the country starting to open up this holiday weekend, I again remind everyone that the coronavirus is not yet contained. It is up to every individual to protect themselves and their community. Social distancing, hand washing and wearing masks protect us all.
- Dr. Stephen M. Hahn (@SteveFDA) May 24, 2020
JUST IN: "Social distancing is absolutely critical and if you can't social distance and you're outside, you must wear a mask," Dr. Deborah Birx tells ABC News' @MarthaRaddatz when pressed on her comments that people can visit beaches. https://t.co/27wiSnRlJE pic.twitter.com/0GseMUmc7P
- This Week (@ThisWeekABC) May 24, 2020
Trump was among the many Americans who decided to spend time outside Sunday, as he headed to his golf course in Virginia for the second day in a row. The president went to play golf again hours after presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden released an attack ad blasting Trump for playing golf as the coronavirus death toll in the United States neared the 100,000-mark.
Nearly 100,000 lives have been lost, and tens of millions are out of work.
- Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 24, 2020
Meanwhile, the president spent his day golfing. pic.twitter.com/H1BVNtgVjA
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