Photo Credit: Mariel Reed/WATD
Dogs on Beaches May Be a Thing of the Past, Another Casualty of the Pandemic.
In Plymouth, dogs are allowed on all public beaches except Long Beach, but now the Board of Health is taking a closer look at that because of the COVID-19 state of emergency.
Birgitta Kuehn, who Chairs the Board of Health, told the group she would like to see the discussion limited …
“…to the efficacy of an order, pursuant to the state of emergency that will link prohibiting dogs on beaches with the potential to reduce Covid-19 infection in the public.”
Board member Nancy Gantz questioned this:
“Could you just go over the rational for your thought and how that relates to the isolation process?”
Chairman Kuehn explained:
“Dogs running free are not necessarily consistent with social distancing and even dogs that are leashed promote other dog owners with leashed dogs to stand in proximity and have a nice time on the beach chatting, but not 6ft apart. Often dogs relieve themselves on the beach and the people that are walking them often do not bring the proper disposal mechanisms with them.”
Public Health Director Karen Keane has a dog and admits to being a dog lover, but she says:
“We are limiting the number of people that can actually go on the beach. So, I think that at this point in time during this COVID-19 pandemic, I think it is imperative that the Department and the Board take a strong look at limiting access to animals on the beach.”
The Board of Health meets via ZOOM on Wednesday, June 10th at 3 PM.
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