Eastern Iowa beaches and parks are getting so busy some were forced to temporarily close on Sunday.
KCRG-TV9 reports Iowa Department of Natural Resources officers were forced to briefly shut down Lake MacBride State Park in Johnson County and limit the number of vehicles entering the park because it got too busy for officers to handle the crowds.
However, the DNR says there haven't been any social distancing problems. “We were looking to be outside in this hot weather and we don’t have a pool and all the pools near us are closed, so we thought we’d head for a beach,” Amy Murphy of Davenport told KCRG-TV 9.
Murphy brought her two kids to Lake MacBride beach Sunday afternoon. Crowds of people lined the beach, boat rental areas, and parking lots, but despite COVID-19, Murphy said she felt safe.
“It looks like just about everybody is spaced about six feet apart on the beach, so it looks like a good, safe place to swim,” Murphy said.
Tom Basten, Southeast District Supervisor for State Parks said Lake MacBride is always a busy place, but this year is different.
“It’s the volume of traffic that we are getting because everybody is coming to the park. This is what is different for this year at this park, all of our parking lots are full, and our boat ramps are full, both north and the south side,” he says.
The park has been so busy, the park’s two full-time officers weren’t enough to handle the crowds. “We are bringing in extra officers from other parks to get through these days, but unfortunately that leaves other parks in southeast Iowa open without any officer working right now,” Basten told KCRG-TV 9.
Basten says officers are stressing social distancing on the beach, but most people keep to their own groups and they haven’t had any issues. He said their focus remains on park safety.
“We’ve been having to close down the traffic volume coming into the park until we get openings." Basten says if you’re planning a trip to the beach or park, come early and expect crowds.
(Photo: KCRG-TV 9)