State and local officials from Delaware to Virginia are hopeful their beaches could reopen to the public “in the next few days” after they had to close due to medical waste washing ashore.
The Town of Ocean City in Maryland posted a message from Ocean City Emergency Services director Joe Theobald, saying, “Safety remains our top priority, and we hope to reopen the ocean in the next few days.”
The announcement comes a day after the town said that “no medical waste” was found on the beach on Tuesday, but rough surf and a limited number of lifeguards continued to keep the ocean closed to swimmers and surfers.
Theobald’s statement said that the Ocean City government is working closely with the Worcester County health department and is waiting for the results of water quality tests before opening beaches back up to the public.
On the social media platform X, Maryland State Parks posted similar information, noting a “significant decrease in the amount of debris” being washed ashore at Assateague State Park. The agency reported that most of what continued to show up on shore were small pieces of plastic — “almost none of which is any form of medical waste.”
But like other Ocean City officials, the Maryland State Parks’ social media posts said that rough surf and a risk of rip currents would keep restrictions — including on swimming and surfing — in place until further notice.
“We advise beach visitors to wear shoes and use caution when on the beach/near the ocean,” the agency said.
“As the amount of material continues to decrease, we expect restrictions to be lifted as we come into the weekend but advise visitors to monitor social media for updates, including those related to storm conditions,” Maryland State Parks said in a statement.
Hugh Hawthorne, NPS superintendent of the Assateague Island National Seashore, expressed hope that portions of the beach might be reopened by the weekend. But, he told WTOP, “We’re not quite ready to make any firm decisions.”
Hawthorne explained that the Assateague Island National Seashore includes 37 miles of beach, and he said it’s not possible to predict with any certainty how much of the oceanfront within the park could be reopened.
Regarding the rough surf experienced along the coastline, Hawthorne said it’s hard to tell how the surf is affecting the trash, debris and other pollutants in the water.
“Whether it’s bringing more of it in or whether it’s bringing less of it in,” Hawthorne said.
While he said most of what’s been appearing on the parks’ coastline is plastic, and not medical waste, officials still strongly encourage visitors to wear their shoes during their visit.
Hawthorne said it’s been stressful not to be able to give the public definitive answers as to when the entire park would reopen: “It’s a beautiful beach. It’s a beautiful place, and seeing it in the condition it was on Sunday and Monday is not fun.”
