Sand and social distancing: A UAS study of Galveston, TX, beach attendance during COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread in early 2020, Galveston, Texas, suspended beach access from 29 March 2020 through 1 May 2020. This action was designed to reduce the number of visitors to the island and to reduce nonsocially distanced interactions. After the 1 May 2020 reopening mandated by the Texas governor, numerous individuals, largely from the Houston area, drove to Galveston to use the beaches. At that time, TV coverage of the large crowds left the impression that there was little to no adherence to the reopening guidelines put forward by the state and city. In order to gauge the effectiveness/observance of the reopening guidelines by Galveston’s beachgoers, a headcount and analysis of the measured distance between individual beachgoers was completed on 23 May 2020 using Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) photography and Geographic Information System (GIS) measurement techniques. By June, the number of positive COVID-19 cases was rapidly increasing in the Houston area. Despite minimal use of masks and little adherence to social distancing, there was sufficient space on the beach to handle the crowds provided beachgoers had adhered to social distancing guidelines. Two issues were identified: limited access points creating chokepoints when moving from the Seawall to the beach, and the pervasive use of shade devices (i.e. umbrellas, pop-up tents and canopies) that act as congregation spots.