Rye Beach Closings

On March 26, 2020, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu declared that a “stay at home” order would be going into effect on Friday, March 27, 2020, at 11:59 P.M.  As part of this order, all State beaches shall be closed to the public until May 4, 2020.  The Rye Board of Selectmen will also be closing all Rye town beaches for the same duration of time.  This will be monitored on a regular basis.

Part of the mitigation plan is to close venues that will attract large crowds of people.  On any given decent weather day, Rye’s population can swell by the thousands due to people swarming to the beaches.  Add in the fact that Maine and Massachusetts have already closed their beaches and Rye’s beach population would be astronomical on a nice weather day.  There have been some cases of Covid-19, which have no identified risk factors, which would indicate that New Hampshire is currently experiencing community-based transmission of the virus.  A visit to the beach is more than just a “to/from” trip.  There would be restaurant take-out visits and gas stations visited from residents of surrounding states, along with New Hampshire natives, increasing the chances of community-based transmission in Rye and seacoast businesses.

While Rye officers will be taking an “education, awareness, and enforcement” approach, we are asking every individual for the utmost voluntary compliance during this trying time for everyone.  We are asking every person to respect this temporary but necessary order to ensure the health and wellness of the seacoast so that we all may get back to enjoying the beaches before summer!

We are asking all beach goers (walkers, runners, surfers) to refrain from being on the beaches.  Vehicles that are parked in restricted areas as a result of the beach closures will be strictly ticketed.

We greatly appreciate the compliance of everyone so that we may resume our favorite beach activities soon!

Chief Kevin Walsh