The popular Assateague Island beach — one of the hallmarks of a Chincoteague vacation — has been closed indefinitely because of medical waste, including syringes and needles, that washed ashore along the Mid-Atlantic.
“We currently have no idea where it came from and will not be speculating about a source,” the Assateague Island National Seashore reported Sunday.
Beaches have been closed from Chincoteague north to Delaware. It is not certain when the Assateague Island beach in Virginia will be reopened.
“We do not know how long the closures will be in effect,” the national seashore reported on social media.
“We do not know how much more material is out there, when it will stop coming ashore, and how long it will take for cleanup.
Here is the social media post from the Asssateague Island National Seashore. It was posted Sunday, Sept. 16.
The Chincoteague public beach in the Virginia unit has been added to the closure list. All ocean-facing beaches at Assateague Island National Seashore are now closed to swimming or wading due to medical waste coming ashore.
A rundown of current closures:
— North end (all of the island North of Assateague State Park) is closed to all visitor access
— Assateague Island State Park Beach is closed to swimming and wading
— All Oceanside beaches in Assateague Island National Park are closed to swimming and wading. This includes North Beach, Oceanside Camping Beach, South Beach, the beach on the Oversand Vehicle Area and the Chincoteague Beach.
— All Campgrounds, trails, boardwalks, visitor centers, etc. remain open. Bayside remains open for kayaks, canoes and other water activities (at least for now).
Answers to some FAQs from the previous post:
— The debris is trash with a large component of medical waste, which includes syringes and needles.
We believe it started to come ashore this morning, so those who were in the water on earlier days should have nothing to worry about.
— We currently have no idea where it came from and will not be speculating about a source. Health authorities will be investigating.
— We do not know how long the closures will be in effect. We do not know how much more material is out there, when it will stop coming ashore, and how long it will take for cleanup.
— For those offering to help … we do not know what help would be necessary, but will keep the public advised.
— This is part of a larger area problem-with closure from Fenwick Island to Chincoteague.
