General News
Meropi Kyriacou Honored as TNH Educator of the Year
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
?SANTA MONICA, Calif.— They arrived at the beach by car, skateboard and on bare feet. They carried Frisbees, cameras and surfboards. They wore running shorts, yoga pants and wetsuits.
Many wore masks.
That was the starkest difference this week apart from a moment in time in March that seems hard to conjure now — before beaches closed and masks seemed like an extreme and maybe even ineffective protection from coronavirus.
No longer. Masks are now required at Los Angeles County beaches, which reopened Wednesday, to join counterparts in other states that have allowed a somewhat limited return to famed stretches of sand.
"You get some side eyes if you don't wear a mask," said Tom Ventura, who sported a light blue face covering with white polka dots while cooling down after his morning run Thursday in Santa Monica.
Along the California coast and in states known for silky sands, warm waters and ample sun, the surf is up along with a new set of rules posted in the time of the coronavirus pandemic.
Beachgoers in LA County have to remain active — walking, running or swimming. No sunbathing. No picnics. No volleyball. Parking lots, piers and a popular 22-mile (35.4-kilometer) bike path that strings together Santa Monica, Venice, Manhattan, and Torrance beaches are also closed.
Similar rules are in place throughout the state, as well as in Florida and Hawaii, though masks are not required at many beaches. Tanning and even picnics are permitted in some places, though people are generally told to only spend time with family members and not gather in large groups.
While beaches in South Florida — Miami and Hollywood — remain closed, beaches in Pinellas County on the Gulf of Mexico allow chairs and towels, but limit groups to no more than 10 people. Signs urge people who don't live together to remain 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart.
"I think it's a little much, especially being outside with the sun and everything," said Britt Mask, a Georgia man on vacation with his family at Indian Rocks Beach, near Clearwater, Florida. "I understand why it's being done."
In Hawaii, exercise is allowed on Oahu, but Honolulu police warned people sitting on the sands of Waikiki that they needed to be in the water or moving along.
Beaches closed in many places as stay-at-home orders got stricter after people, who were allowed to exercise, flocked to the coast. Public health officials were concerned large gatherings could allow the virus to spread.
Andrew Noymer, a public health professor at the University of California, Irvine, said it was sensible to start reopening beaches and see how it goes. People should make their own risk assessment, but he said the sun helps kill germs and the virus is less likely to spread in the ocean.
"We have to start reopening the United States slowly and smartly. We can't just keep everyone locked inside for 12 months," Noymer said. "If we can't run on the beach then how on Earth can we go to a restaurant or a movie theater?"
A day into the Los Angeles reopening Thursday, turnout was lighter.
"Yesterday was like the first get-out-of-jail-free card," said Peter Moore, who was wearing a white hospital-style mask and walking with his wife and dog. "If they open up the parking lots, we'll see if people are sitting on top of each other. There's a lot of sand out there."
The biggest challenge for lifeguards was reminding people they needed to wear masks, said Pono Barnes, a spokesman for LA County Fire Department.
Surfer Lana Song, who was overjoyed to be back in the water after gaining 5 pounds (2.3 kilograms) when her morning ritual was upended, was confused about the mask rule that applies on land but not water. She didn't know where she would put a mask while riding waves.
Mlak Sahli, a student from Saudi Arabia studying public health, said it felt liberating to return to the beach for the first time in months even though a police officer shooed her and a friend for sitting on the beach.
A small group of surfers were treated to a rare sight when a pod of about 20 dolphins swam by, said Peter Lockwood. He said he wasn't concerned about catching the virus in the water.
"Not a chance. There was so much air moving there and no one wants to be that close," he said. "Everyone wants their own wave."
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Sin City blew a kiss goodbye to the Tropicana before first light Wednesday in an elaborate implosion that reduced to rubble the last true mob building on the Las Vegas Strip.
THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — A group of 11 Romanian pilgrims visiting Greece's Orthodox all-male monastic community of Mount Athos are in hospital with food poisoning after eating wild mushrooms during a hike, Greek officials said Wednesday.
ATHENS - A profound shock has struck Panathinaikos and Greek football, as right back George Baldock was tragically found dead on Wednesday (October 9) in the pool of his home in Glyfada, leaving the football community in deep mourning.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday as Israel expands its ground incursion into Lebanon and considers how to respond to Iran's recent ballistic missile attack.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Sin City blew a kiss goodbye to the Tropicana before first light Wednesday in an elaborate implosion that reduced to rubble the last true mob building on the Las Vegas Strip.