St. Johns County easing more restrictions at its beaches

It’s another step towards normalcy in St. Johns County.

Thursday, St. Johns County announced they are easing restrictions at their beaches. The county says beginning Monday you’ll be able to use the beach for activities other than exercising, so you’ll be able to take a chair or towel and hang out on the beach.

The county says driving on the beach is still not allowed and social distancing guidelines will still need to be practiced.

“We’d be lying to you if we didn’t say there were some concerns that people will just completely ignore the guidelines, but we are confident in the residents,” says County Commissioner Hunter Conrad. “They’ve exercised a great deal of personal responsibility over the last month.”

He says they’ll be watching to make sure everything goes well, but they’re confident everything will go according to plans.

“The reality is, the residents of this community and other communities are ready to get outside,” Conrad says. “They want to be able to go and sit on their beaches. We want them to be able to do that.”

The beaches will now be open from dawn until dusk starting Monday.

As far as other restrictions for businesses in the county, Conrad says they'll follow the guidelines outlined by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.