Capitola Beach closed after E. coli outbreak may have exposed at least 9 children
By Felix Cortez
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CAPITOLA, California (KSBW) — An E. coli outbreak has forced the closure of Capitola Beach after health leaders said nine children from Santa Cruz County and the Bay Area were exposed at the beach or in nearby waterways.
“Fortunately, no deaths [were] associated with this outbreak. All individuals have recovered. We did have two known hospitalizations associated with this outbreak,” said Santa Cruz County Health Officer Lisa Hernandez.
County health leaders decided to temporarily close the beach out of an abundance of caution and to reduce further exposure.
“I feel for the kids, and it is what it is. You’ve got to protect the public,” said Paul Echols.
But on a warm, sunny day in Capitola, with temperatures in the low 70s, it was hard to keep some people out of the water. Surfers and several young children were seen wading in the surf.
For the most part, though, many heeded the warnings and stayed out of the water and off the beach.
“Yeah, definitely get this guy to the beach, and it’s this guy’s birthday today, so we’re looking forward to having a little birthday celebration on the beach, but not today. That’s OK,” said Lauren De La Parra, who went to the beach to celebrate her husband’s birthday and let their young child play.
“I did travel a little bit to get here and didn’t know, but I’ll make the best of it, you know. Any day in Capitola is better than a day or a week or a month in Modesto,” Echols added. He traveled from Modesto to vacation in Capitola.
Investigators have submitted multiple soil, water and fecal samples to the CDC, hoping to pinpoint the source of the E. coli.
“I can’t promise that we’ll have a source because of that. However, this is part of that investigation. We have to do a stepwise process to understand the risk. … My hope is to open up the beach as soon as possible. However, I need to weigh the safety of the community,” Hernandez said.
Until then, signs warning that Capitola Beach is closed will remain posted.
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