ASSATEAGUE, Va. — Chincoteague Public Beach in the Virginia unit and all ocean-facing beaches at Assateague Island National Seashore are closed due to medical waste coming on shore.
Here's a list of closures from Assateague Island National Seashore officials:
- 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.
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All Campgrounds, trails, boardwalks, visitor centers, etc. remain open, officials said. Bayside remains open for kayaks, canoes and other water activities at this time.
National Seashore officials said the debris is trash with a large component of medical waste including syringes and needles. They believe it started coming ashore Sunday morning.
"We currently have no idea where it came from and will not be speculating about a source," the post said. "Health authorities will be investigating."
There's no word on how long the beach closures will last.
"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," the post said.
