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Crowds led Florida city to close beaches one week after reopening

Published  May 10, 2020 5:27pm EDT
Associated Press

NAPLES, Fla. - A Florida city closed its beaches because officials said visitors were not practicing social distancing and could have contributed to the spread of the new coronavirus.

Naples closed its beaches Sunday, one week after they reopened. Officials in the southwest Florida city said that the crowds on Saturday were packed too tightly together, so they decided to close beaches until a city council meeting can be held Monday to discuss solutions.

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Councilman Gary Price went to the beach Saturday after learning about the crowds and took photos of people not obeying rules that require groups to remain apart.

The state said more than 40,000 cases have been confirmed and 1,721 people have died.

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