MALIBU, Calif. – The Malibu Pier became the latest beach side attraction to close this week, as coastal officials scramble to close parking lots and popular hiking trails after crowds jammed the Pacific Coast Highway Saturday and Sunday. 

“It was overwhelming,” said Mayor Pro Tem Mikke Pierson. “I don’t think any conceived notion that tens of thousands of people would show up in our town and completely overwhelm us. The panic was unbelievable.”

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Cars lined canyon roads and PCH. Pierson says first responders raced to several accidents. And already burdened grocery stores struggled to restock amid the crowds of beach goers. 

“We just don’t have the infrastructure. Our markets couldn’t handle it. There were lines out the door and the shelves were already empty.”

 

 

And, of course there was the added worry that the crowds brought an unwelcome guest: coronavirus. 

Government officials like Pierson are currently working from home and City Hall is closed to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the tiny beach town. Pierson is not aware of any local cases. But he said the city is still recovering from another disaster – the 2018 Woolsey fire. 

“Go for a walk, absolutely. That should happen. But keep your social distancing and do it from your home. We will welcome you back to Malibu, en masse, as soon as we can. Now is not the time,” Pierson said. 

Pierson says this time around you can protect Malibu by staying far away.