All beaches in the City of Newport Beach will be closed Saturday, July 4 and Sunday, July 5

On Wednesday, the Newport Beach City Council approved a July 4 beach closure after two seasonal lifeguards employed by the City tested positive for COVID-19, and more than 20 placed in quarantine. This followed L.A. County’s decision to close beaches over the July 4 weekend, which is traditionally the busiest summer weekend for beach goers throughout Southern California.

On Thursday, the City added an additional closure on Sunday, July 5 to maintain consistency with beach closures throughout Orange County. The closures apply to Newport Beach’s ocean-facing beaches as well as bay beaches.

City crews will be setting up barricades, signs and other notifications, Thursday and Friday prior to the closure at 10 p.m. on Friday.

The Oceanfront Boardwalk will also be closed to secure access to the beach. Beach serving parking lots will be closed. Newport Pier will be closed.

Indoor and outdoor bars are closed by order of the State Governor, as are indoor restaurants. Restaurants with outdoor seating are permitted to serve dine-in customers.

The City’s Police Department, with support from neighboring public safety agencies, will be maintaining a strong presence near the beaches to enforce the closure.

In the West Newport safety enhancement zone, fines for violations such as loud music, unruly parties and drinking in public will be increased to as much as triple the usual amount.

There will be no professional fireworks displays and street parades or festivals on July 4, in alignment with State guidance that restricts large gatherings.

With Orange County experiencing a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, City officials are urging the public to act responsibly over the holiday weekend and limit contact to those within their immediate household.