Santa Monica Pier closed for New Year’s weekend

In an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the Santa Monica Pier will be closed to the public during New Year’s weekend, city officials said Wednesday.

The city said in a statement that the pier would close 10 p.m. Wednesday and reopen at 6 a.m. Monday.

“The city’s code enforcement COVID-19 details will be active throughout the weekend to enforce unpermitted business operations, gatherings and [lack of] face masks,” the statement said. “Please follow all Los Angeles County guidelines to promote our community health.”

L.A. County has seen an unprecedented spread of the virus in recent weeks, with hospitalizations overwhelming intensive care units and healthcare providers pleading with people not to come to emergency rooms unless it’s a matter of life or death. On Wednesday, county health officials announced that the region had surpassed 10,000 coronavirus-related deaths.

In a media briefing Wednesday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti urged residents not to gather even in small groups on New Year’s Eve and warned that a negative test “is not a passport to party.”

“We’ve seen the Thanksgiving bump, we’re feeling possibility of a Christmas one, please do not let us have a third surge that we simply cannot take here in Los Angeles as a result of our New Year,” he said. “Do not get together with others on New Year’s Eve. Do not host or attend a party in person.”

Garcetti said that the city would be enforcing public health rules over the weekend, and that the Los Angeles Police Department has told some party promoters to cancel their events. He said that the department will have a “significant deployment” of officers patrolling the city to stop large gatherings.