York County towns close beaches, promote restaurants
Courtesy / York Region Chamber
Short Sands Beach, one of four public beaches in York, features a boardwalk, shops and eateries, and is popular with families. All York beaches have closed indefinitely.
With the tourism season around the corner, four York County towns have closed their public beaches because of concerns about the spread of COVID-19, blocking most access to the southernmost 20 miles of Maine's shoreline.
Meanwhile, in places just steps away from the sand, area restaurants are joining forces to promote business during the pandemic.
On Monday, the town of York barred visitors from Cape Neddick Beach, Harbor Beach, Long Sands Beach and Short Sands Beach, all of which will remain closed indefinitely, Town Manager Stephen Burns wrote on the York website. By Wednesday, Kittery, Ogunquit and Wells had enacted similar measures.
Burns said he made the decision “because of reports of many people congregating on the beach when the overall directive from state and federal government officials is that people should be staying home and practicing safe social distancing.”
Police are enforcing the ban on public use of the beaches, he said. It may be lifted "when the public health emergency is under control."
Public beaches in the region are typically open year-round, 24/7. In summer months, the wide, flat surfside expanses are crowded with tourists and other visitors who also frequent nearby shops, hotels and restaurants.
Some of those businesses are now working with the York Region Chamber of Commerce to attract customers in the age of the coronavirus.
The chamber recently launched an online directory of restaurants in Eliot, Kittery, Ogunquit, South Berwick and York offering alternatives to dine-in service. Options shown include takeout, delivery, curbside pickup and drive-through service. Available in a spreadsheet, the directory also indicates establishments that offer “alcohol to go.”
The directory, which is updated regularly and lists 96 eateries, also identifies those that are now closed — 30 as of Thursday.
In addition, the list includes a dozen other businesses that currently remain open, some of which offer special services due to the crisis.
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