OCEAN CITY, Md. — Officials along the Eastern Shore are closing down the beaches, but not for the season. According to the Maryland State Parks X account, formerly known as Twitter, a lot of medical waste has been seen washing up on shores throughout Maryland.
On Sunday, MSP announced that they are restricting access to the ocean. Swimming, wading, surfing, or any activities in the ocean are not permitted at this time.
Ocean City government issued a similar warning over on their Facebook page, Sunday afternoon.
Emergency Services Director Joe Theobald stresses that this situation is serious, especially given the combination of rough seas and the current health concerns. "We will work closely with the Worcester County Health Department and other public health authorities to investigate the source of the medical waste," Theobald stated. "Until we are confident that the situation is under control, we recommend wearing shoes on the beach and avoiding the ocean entirely."
On Monday, WUSA9 reached out to the Maryland Department of Emergency Management to ask the questions on everyone's mind: Where did the waste come from? How long will it take to clean up? Who is responsible for cleaning the beaches? and When will the beaches reopen?
The agency had very few details and directed us to the local municipalities spearheading the clean up.
This issue isn't just impacting beaches in Maryland, officials in Delaware are saying they are experiencing the same problem.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control began advising beachgoers to leave the beaches from the Indian River inlet to Fenwick Island Sunday afternoon into evening and to refrain from swimming in the ocean after reports of medical waste, including hypodermic needles, was found on nearby Maryland beaches. Similar waste was first reported in Ocean City and Assateague Island on Sunday.
At this time it is unclear how long it will take to resolve this issue.