Ventura County beaches to close for July 4 weekend, county health officer says

Amid a statewide surge in coronavirus cases, Ventura County plans to close its beaches to the public for the Fourth of July weekend, the county's health officer told Eyewitness News.

The county's move follows decisions by Los Angeles County among others to also close their beaches for the holiday to avoid the crowds that health experts say can lead to a spread of the virus.

"We will be closing beaches for the Fourth of July," Dr. Robert Levin, Ventura county's public health officer, told Eyewitness News during a Skype interview. "We'll be closing off parking to those beaches as well for the Fourth of July."

Ventura County has reported 2,926 cases of coronavirus with 46 deaths, out of more than 61,000 tests.

The county also saw a recent outbreak in a farmworker housing facility in Oxnard.