Salem Tightens Restrictions On Non-Resident Waterfront Access

SALEM, MA — City officials will increase the non-resident day parking fee to $25 on weekends and limit non-resident parking to 31 spaces at Salem's Winter Island in an effort to increase social distancing.

The higher fees and new parking restrictions were among a series of new rules Salem officials announced Thursday in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The new changes begin Saturday and will stay in effect on weekends until further notice.

The new rules came a day after the state Department of Public Health reported that Salem had seen an increase in the number of active coronavirus cases over the past 14 days. While Salem's positive test rate of 1.38 percent over the previous 14 days was below the state average, most Massachusetts communities saw a decline in their active case counts in Wednesday's report.

Salem officials also announced changes at two other popular, waterfront parks. At Forest River Park:

• Trash barrels will be relocated to reduce litter.
• Salem police and park rangers will increase patrols.
• The city will survey license plates to see if non-resident restrictions are needed.
• The parking lot will be closed and gated at night.

Police and park rangers will also increase patrols at Salem Willows. The changes come less than a week after the city created zones downtown and waterfront areas where it would fine people who do not wear masks.

Dave Copeland covers Salem and other North Shore communities for Patch. He can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).