The Grays Harbor Board of County Commissioners on Monday (March 23) voted to block beach access by motorized vehicles beginning Tuesday and continuing until further notice.

The vote, which came during a special meeting, was unanimous.

Pedestrians still will be able to walk and ride bikes on the beach. Motorized vehicles will be denied access.

There are seven beach approaches that the county will close after consultation with the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office.

“The reason for this request is because of the onslaught of traffic that we saw at our local beaches and in Westport and Ocean Shores over the weekend,” Commissioner Vickie Raines said. “It was extremely frustrating to say the least.”

The location of the barricades will not affect local traffic, county officials said. And the barricades would be movable to allow for emergency services or access by state and local agencies.

“Closing the approaches and making sure that we have emergency access is the best course we have right now,” Sheriff Rick Scott said.

“This is a good move for us to deter tourists (because of the spread of coronavirus),” Raines added.

In meetings this week, the commission also will consider whether to close county parks. The governor recently closed state parks with campgrounds.

The commission has a workshop Tuesday morning at 10:30 a.m. and has scheduled another special meeting at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Westport shuts doen hotels, etc

The City of Westport approved an emergency resolution Saturday closing hotels, motels, vacation rentals and other transient rentals after the city received an influx of tourists at the beach.

The city is also taking steps to close roads in order to limit beach access.

A video taken Saturday and widely shared on South Beach social media pages showed a jammed parking lot at Westhaven State Park and people out of their cars walking and playing games.

The resolution notes that the governor and health officials are urging people statewide to stay home and says that in the Westport area there has been an influx of people from outside the area.

There were similar reports at Ocean Shores on Saturday.

The City of Long Beach closed beach approach roads as of Sunday morning.

Washington campgrounds close

Washington state campgrounds closed Monday to prevent the spread of COVID-19, while day-use areas and trails will remain open.

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, along with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Natural Resources, announced all state campgrounds would close until April 30.

No new campers will be allowed into the parks and current campers will be phased out.

Park officials encouraged people to practice social distancing when outside, including on trails and at public beaches.

“Due to the volume of people visiting Washington ocean beaches, we are asking the public to avoid those areas,” the agency’s news release read.

The closure applies to lands belonging to all three agencies.