#Jones, Orient Beach forced to turn away visitors early amid hot temps

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The beach at Robert Moses State Park remains crowded amid coronavirus
Edmund J. Coppa

A slew of local beaches and state parks were forced to shut as early as around 9:30 a.m. Sunday because they had already reached capacity amid the blazing heat and coronavirus social-distancing rules.

Robert Moses State Park on Long Island was closed by 9:20 a.m., followed by such hot spots as Jones Beach, Orient Beach and Sandy Island, according to the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation. Bear Mountain State Park was among others shut down by 1 p.m.

The state police blocked off the entrances to some of the areas, including at Jones Beach, which had to turn visitors away by 11:50 a.m.

The beaches and parks are operating at reduced capacity because of social-distancing guidelines.

The mercury was set to hit 94 degrees — with a real-feel temperature of 98 degrees — in the metro area Sunday, according to Accuweather.