Madison Holmes

On the sands of Ocean City beach in Ocean City, Maryland, crowds of families and travelers decided to spend their Labor Day holiday with fun in the sun despite Covid-19, but helped many businesses.

On this past Monday, it seemed the hotspot for every quarantined person was Ocean City. Due to Covid-19, it has been a tough summer for lots of individuals, especially business owners which created a lot of uncertainties. “I’ve been doing this for more than 40 years and I can honestly say this has been our toughest summer,” said co-owner of Bull on the Beach Michele Knopp.

During the summer, Ocean City is filled with beachgoers of all ages every weekend. But the interaction has declined due to Covid-19. Many Ocean City businesses are seasonal, so during the summer, all business owners hope to make enough money to last them during the offseason. Unfortunately, that did not happen for many businesses, which had to cut’ employees’ hours due to the decrease in visitors on the beach.

All business owners can say that this summer was a different experience due to Covid-19 as well as the sightseers. “It was a different experience going to the beach. I have been there many times before, but it was weird. Many businesses on the boardwalk closed early and no one was social distancing. But it was nice to get away,” said recent beachgoer Anisa Johnson.

Overall, this past Labor Day weekend was quite successful for all parties on the beach. Many business owners are optimistic about the last weekends of the summer. Both travelers and businesses hope everyone can still social distance while having fun since we are still in an ongoing pandemic.