Visitors Flock to Daytona Beach as Lockdown Eased

Visitors flocked to Florida’s Daytona Beach on May 23 as lockdowns introduced to slow the spread of the coronavirus were eased ahead of Memorial Day weekend.

Two people were reportedly injured in a shooting on the boardwalk the same evening as crowds of people attended the beach.

It was described as one of the busiest weekends for many years for Volusia County beaches, with groups reported to largely be maintaining their distance from each other amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Daytona Beach officials had asked visitors to wear masks and stay 10 feet apart as beaches were reopened, however Mayor Derrick Henry reportedly conceded it wasn’t practical to expect people to wear masks.

In this video, filmed near the Main Street Pier at Daytona Beach, visitors can be seen on the sand and walking along the boardwalk. In the background, a man can be heard saying: “There is not even one person wearing a mask, even coming in and coming out of the stores.”

More than 50,000 coronavirus cases had been reported across Florida by May 23. Credit: Michel Hanna via Storyful