CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. — Thousands of people visited beaches along the Carolina Coast Memorial Day weekend, despite rip current risk and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Carolina Beach Ocean Rescue Captain Tony Wallace told local news outlets his crews had 45 water rescues over the holiday weekend.
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He said his concern moving forward is staying preventative.
“We need to stay preventative,” Wallace said. “We’re going to continue public education, posting flags where rip current, inform how to stay away from them and how to get out of them.”
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Wallace added the pandemic is not only impacting visitors to the beach, but also how he and his crews respond to rescues.
He said each guard has a PPE bag set up with items like masks and gloves so rescues can be as safe as possible for both the victim and guard.
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“If we have a water rescue and there is medical assistance required, we have masks that we put on our victim and our guards and gloves and so forth," Wallace said. “If someone needs ventilation done, we use a bag valve mask, no mouth-to-mouth right now.”
Officials said there are other changes that will be set forward during the COVID-19 for the safety of beachgoers as well as the safety of lifeguards on the beaches.
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