CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. — It's Spring Break in the Sunshine State.
- Clearwater Beach to be closed Monday at 6 a.m.
- Tampa beaches closed: Ben T Davis Beach, Cypress Point Beach, Davis Islands Beach, Picnic Island Beach
- Other Pinellas County beaches remain open
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But Bay area beaches are not as packed as usual and Clearwater Beach will soon be empty.
The city has already closed Pier 60.
Now, starting Monday at 6 a.m., the actual beach will also be closed. The beaches in Tampa are already closed.
Other Pinellas County beaches remain open - at least for now.
Despite local, state and national warnings to stay home and practice social distancing, tourists and locals have flocked to Clearwater Beach, and its clear, sunny skies.
Clearwater Beach is scheduled to be closed for two weeks.
According to partner newspaper the Tampa Bay Times, Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said the crowds have thinned since Monday.
"Most people are spread out more than they were before," Cayenne Crowther from Tarpon Springs said Wednesday on the beach. "So, it's getting a lot better than it was."
Meanwhile, the closure applies only to the beach, where police will be patrolling. The businesses on Clearwater will remain open.