People headed to the Oregon coast this Fourth of July weekend shouldn’t expect to see any fireworks over the ocean.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across the state, state park officials expect beaches to fill up with people looking to get out of town for the holiday weekend, some of whom may be tempted to set off illegal fireworks as official displays along the coastline are canceled, they said.
Regular bans on fireworks will be in effect alongside a slew of new restrictions, closures, warnings and mandates to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, making it a Fourth of July like no other.
Chris Havel, spokesman for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, said campgrounds on the coast are practically full for the holiday weekend, following a busier-than-normal camping season this year. The Fourth of July is typically the start of peak season on the coast, he said, but this year it arrived a few weeks early.
Havel said the parks department’s focus this year will be on reminding people to maintain social distance, show up prepared with water, hand sanitizer and other supplies, and to not shoot off fireworks on the beach.
“If I could pick one thing we could erase from our collective tradition it would be going down to the beach to fire off fireworks,” Havel said. “It’s just a horrible idea from beginning to end.”
Fireworks are banned at all Oregon state park sites, including all beaches along the Oregon coast. While that rule has been in place for years, people continue to ignore it, littering beaches with debris and starting fires in the dune grass, Havel said.
This year, with official fireworks displays canceled up and down the Oregon coast, people may be tempted to put on displays of their own. But between environmental concerns and safety hazards, city officials and park officials are urging visitors to leave the pyrotechnics at home.
City officials in Lincoln City said they will enforce the prohibition on illegal fireworks after canceling fireworks shows over Devils Lake and Siletz Bay this year.
“Lincoln City’s tradition of safe and legal professional fireworks is on hold for this year,” city manager Ron Chandler said in a news release. “We ask our guests to plan a safe and responsible July Fourth. Remember that fireworks bought in Oregon are legal in Oregon. There will be consequences for illegal fireworks brought in from out of state.”
Legal fireworks like ground fountains and spinners are allowed on private property, but aerial fireworks are banned everywhere. City officials in Cannon Beach and Seaside also issued reminders to visitors to keep fireworks legal and off the beach.
The fireworks concerns come on top of coronavirus troubles on the coast. In Newport, an estimated 3.4% of the population has contracted COVID-19, according to a study released Wednesday, including a major outbreak at a Pacific Seafood facility in June.
Some communities issued their own mandates on wearing face masks, including Clatsop County and Manzanita, before Oregon Gov. Kate Brown mandated that face masks be worn in all indoor spaces statewide, effective Wednesday.
“Your actions will determine whether our businesses across the state can stay open,” Brown said at a news conference. “And your actions will determine, frankly, whether we can open schools in the fall.”
People visiting Oregon’s beaches may be lulled into a sense of false security, since the risk of transmitting COVID-19 outdoors remains low, according to researchers. But while visiting the beach might be safe, higher risk remains inside public restrooms and businesses on the coast, as well as at beach access points where crowds of people are funneled into narrow areas.
Traveling with people outside your immediate household also poses a risk, officials said, as evidenced by a recent spike of infections in Oregon that were reportedly spread among friends and family.
The state parks department has closed some campsites to help keep crowds down, and continues to close indoor areas, but park officials said they simply can’t force people to keep their distance and wear face masks in crowded places. Just like the ban of fireworks on the beach, their only tool is a consistent barrage of warnings that they hope visitors will follow.
“At most what we do is provide reminders for people,” Havel said. “We have to leave it to them to make a decision.”
--Jamie Hale; jhale@oregonian.com; 503-294-4077; @HaleJamesB
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