Los Angeles closes parks, beaches. Mayor says: ‘This is serious. Stay home and save lives.’

As local government response to COVID-19 ramps up, Los Angeles is taking drastic measures, closing all parks, beaches and trails indefinitely.

Late last night, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority expanded on the stay-at-home order made by Mayor Eric Garcetti after images of packed trails and beaches caused outcry, according to NBC News. The authority has now shut down 75,000 acres of public lands.

Commenting on the shutdown, Garcetti tweeted: “This weekend we saw too many people packing beaches, trails and parks. So we are closing sports and recreation at @LACityParks and closing parking at city beaches. That doesn’t mean gather elsewhere. This is serious. Stay home and save lives.”

The orders effectively close all parks and restrict access to many beaches across tens of thousands of acres from Los Angeles, NBC reports.