The City of Gulf Shores has announced that all public beaches controlled by the city will be closed starting at 7:00 a.m. on Friday.

“Our goal is primarily to protect our local citizens who are scared to death but also to protect the public that comes here,” Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft told FOX10.

Craft is targeting April 6 as the date to reopen the beaches, but that is subject to change.

The Baldwin County Commission is set to meet later on Thursday morning to vote on a similar measure regarding the beaches owned by the county.

Governor Kay Ivey at a press conference on Wednesday said that closing all beaches in the state was under consideration, and it appears that local governments are taking the first steps towards that end.

According to WKRG, “The public beach in Gulf Shores is city property. Fort Morgan is county property. The City of Orange Beach does not have the authority to close the beaches. All beaches behind condos and beach houses are considered private.”

Media reports during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic have shown Alabama’s beaches crowded with visitors who were choosing to not observe the six-foot social distancing rule recommended by state officials.

In previous appearances before the press Dr. Scott Harris, who runs the Alabama Department of Public Health, had urged Alabamians to consider whether any travel away from home was truly necessary.

UPDATE 2:20 p.m.

Ivey has ordered the closure of all beaches in Alabama effective Thursday at 5:00 p.m.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.