Balboa Island boardwalk, Wedge-area park latest pandemic closures for Newport Beach

Groups of people obeying the one-way signs, make their way around Balboa Island on March 28. Newport Beach will close the boardwalk ringing Balboa Island and the small park adjacent to the famed Wedge surfing spot to further reduce congestion in the days of physical distancing to control spread of the coronavirus. The city installed one-way signs to the Bayfront walkway on Balboa Island on March 27, but maintaining the recommended 6-foot personal buffers has still been challenging on the narrow walkway, the city said. The scenic West Jetty View Park, at 2300 Channel Road at the tip of Balboa Peninsula near the Wedge and the harbor entrance, is also small, making distancing difficult, the city said. Newport Beach has incrementally instituted several coronavirus-driven restrictions in recent weeks, including closures of tourist attractions such as the two ocean piers and the beach parking lots, weekend closures of the oceanfront boardwalk on the Balboa Peninsula, closure of the park-like overlooks in Corona del Mar, and a six-week moratorium on vacation rentals.