People flock to Mississippi Gulf Coast for Memorial Day

NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) - Memorial Day turned out to be busy as people returned to Mississippi beaches.

Some traveled from as far away as Michigan, celebrating with their families. In Bay St. Louis, the roadways are packed with people driving along, taking in all the sights and the fresh air.

Restaurants in Mississippi can hold up to 50 percent occupancy, and restaurant owners say they’ve been so busy this weekend, patrons are having to wait for a table.

The staff is wearing masks and everyone seems to be practicing social distancing.

The restaurant owners said, while they are having to close early and there’s no entertainment allowed, the crowds of people this Memorial Day give them hope that everything is moving in the right direction.

On the beach in Pass Christian, families are soaking up the sun and enjoying a day in the water. They too are practicing social distancing and they’ve set up tents and brought food for their families.

Everyone we talked to said they feel like it’s the right time to get out and bring back a sense of normalcy, especially for Memorial Day.

"Yeah, I think for us being stuck in Michigan. We’ve been stuck in for about 60 days so for us, coming south where there was an opportunity to hang out with family and come to a beach. We just needed to get out,” said Nathan McWherter.

"We are very blessed to have the people out today being very safe,” said Melvin Barnes. The families said this Memorial Day was special, especially since the country has been through so much with the COVID-19 pandemic.

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