Indiana Beaches See Little Social Distancing On Memorial Day
CHICAGO (CBS) -- With Chicago's lakefront closed, many people flocked to Indiana.
CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli has more from Whiting, Indiana where there are no signs of social distancing.
When you hear the sound of a ukulele and see a particular sign for Whihala Beach, you might think you're in Hawaii.
But this is Whiting, Indiana some 4,000 miles to the east. This year despite the pandemic, the beaches are once again open for the season on Memorial Day.
When asked if he worried about COVID-19, Ben DeYoung said he didn't.
"Not really at all. I work at an airport," DeYoung said.
And Samantha Rubien figured even if she gets it, her chances of beating the virus are good.
"Why are we going to freak out over something that has such a high survival rate," Rubien asked.
Julie Poremba isn't nearly as confident in the face of a virus that has already killed close to 100,000 Americans.
"I believe our state has opened up too early," lamented Julie Poremba.
And while she was at the beach on Monday, she wasn't even close to the water.
"I didn't wear a mask today because I didn't plan on being close to anyone," Poremba said.
About 20 miles away, at the Indiana Dunes National Park, it was a bit harder to avoid the crowds. Unless you were able to fly over them.
Candice Teske drove here from her home in the Illinois suburbs. But by the time CBS 2 caught up with her, she was telling the kids to pack up for the trip back to Mokena.
"People are just coming out. I understand they're trying to enjoy their weekend, but as for me and my family, we're going to take off because people don't seem to be respecting what we were supposed to be doing," Teske said.