FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 23, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 19
Amid COVID-19 pandemic, beachgoers
test the waters at Rockaway Beach
BY DEAN MOSES
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Aft er months of hibernating during
the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Queens is starting to awake from its
slumber. Restaurants are off ering outside
dining, nonessential businesses have
begun opening their doors, and
with the full swing of summer,
hundreds have fl ocked to
Rockaway Beach despite the
threat of of the coronavirus.
While many passersby don
masks and face coverings on
the streets and boardwalks
surrounding the B86th
section of Rockaway
Beach, beachgoers were
observed removing
their masksthe instant
bare feet touched the
sand.Countless men,
women and children have
been observed lounging in the
sand as far as the eye can see while
countless more frolic amidst the ocean’s
crashing cobalt waves.
On closer inspection, this swimwear
clad community maintains social distancing
measures by keeping over six feet
away from one another regardless of the
large number of individuals soaking up
the sun. With the threat of COVID-19
still looming, QNS asked some patrons
why they chose to head to the beach.
Many people said they simply want a way
to unwind and soak away the stress of our
pandemic reality.
Couples like Grace Hernandez and
Ravi Marwah have been retreating to
Rockaway Beach for the past two months
in order to paddle board.
“We take the paddle boards and just sit
in the middle of the ocean and just meditate
and lay down. It’s relaxing and easy
to keep a social distance,” said Marwah.
Even during quarantine, the pair would
visit the beach twice a week to walk, jog
and meditate.
“We would jog up and down the boardwalk.
Th ere were never any restrictions
coming to the beach at all. I even took
my 2-year-old daughter here so that she
could run in the sand for her second
birthday. It’s meditative and healing, especially
when you go further out into the
water. You’re away from everybody and
you only hear the water,” the pair told
QNS as they prepared their boards for
another morning of spiritual relaxation.
Venturing out to the beach hasn’t
been as simple nor as easy for everyone,
though. Some families have experienced
the implications of COVID-19 fi rsthand
and now appreciate the little things so
much more.
Gale and Charlie Migliore, who hail
from Glendale, have made Rockaway
Beach their go-to summer destination.
On their third trip back, they expressed
the welcoming feeling of regularity.
“When we fi rst went back to the beach
it felt like normalcy. We were out of our
house for the fi rst time in
months and our
kids are getting
to feel
what summer
is really
like,” the couple
told QNS.
“We were
Photos by Dean Moses
sitting at home for months, since March,
aft er we both had coronavirus. And my
husband almost died with three trips
to the hospital. Now things feel somewhat
normal. We were always people who
would go on vacation several times a year;
my husband works with the airlines. Th is
is the fi rst time we’ve been anywhere this
whole summer.”
With all the talk of spirituality and the
dangers of coronavirus, there are those
who just want to take a break have a good
time. Kelly Cabrera came with her aunt
and children, but kept in mind the importance
of safety.
“Th is is my second time back to the
beach. It feels amazing to be able to enjoy
the summer. I was worried at fi rst, like
everybody else. We come in our masks,
and we wear it when we use the restroom.
We try to stay away from people as much
as we can. We take all of the precautions
that we are supposed to do.”
Even during a pandemic, Rockaway
Beach has become the prime stay-cation
spot for New Yorkers; a spot where they
can boogie board, swim, surf, sunbath,
play soccer and col- lect seashells along
the shoreline
while remaining
socially
distant.
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