City beaches in Laguna Beach will open for weekday mornings starting May 4; trailheads leading to open spaces will also be accessible.

The decision to try opening the sands with restrictions was made during a special meeting of the City Council on Tuesday, April 28, in which dozens of residents pushed to use city beaches for their own recreation and enjoyment and as a way to reduce the impacts to South Laguna beaches that experienced “Coachella-like” conditions as warmer weather settled in last weekend.

The county controls the city’s southern beaches and has kept them open, while the city blocked access to the stretches it oversees for several weeks in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Laguna Beach was the first city in Orange County to close its beaches in an emergency order on March 23.

Starting Monday, beaches will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. during weekdays. They will remain closed over the weekends.

And the opening isn’t for lounging on a beach towel or hanging out. Those using the beaches can do so only if they are active either on the beach or in the water. There will be no sitting, standing or gathering on the sand, officials said.