Officials continue to monitor beaches on the South Shore for Sharks

Officials continue to monitor beaches on the South Shore for Sharks

A woman wears a protective face mask during the current coronavirus outbreak, Thursday, May 21, 2020, as she walks on Jones Beach in Wantagh, New York. As pandemic lockdowns ease across the United States, millions of Americans are set to take tentative steps outdoors to celebrate Memorial Day, the traditional start of summer. But public health officials are concerned that if people congregate in crowds or engage in other risky behaviors, the long weekend could cause the coronavirus to come roaring back. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

JONES BEACH, N.Y. (AP) — New York state parks department officials will use drones and helicopters to patrol Long Island’s beaches for sharks after a lifeguard said he was nipped by something in the water. The heightened shark monitoring will be in force at locations including Jones Beach and Robert Moses state parks. It will include beefed-up lifeguard staffing as well as state police helicopter patrols. The announcement comes the day after a Jones Beach lifeguard suffered a gash on his left calf that might have come from a shark. The lifeguard told officials he “felt a tug and then he saw a fin” on Monday.

 

Photo: A woman wears a protective face mask during the current coronavirus outbreak, Thursday, May 21, 2020, as she walks on Jones Beach in Wantagh, New York.  (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)