Sparse crowds on Memorial Day as NYC-area beaches reopen for weekend

Memorial Day was a washout for Big Apple beaches — and it didn’t even rain.

The typical massive crowds that flock to local shores never materialized over the holiday weekend, as beaches opened for the first time since the coronavirus lockdown, albeit with strict social-distancing restrictions and no-swimming rules at city-owned sites.

“We had more business on the worst rainy Memorial Days of my life,” said Jimmy Kokotas, owner of Tom’s Coney Island on the Brooklyn boardwalk. “We haven’t made enough money this weekend to cover the payroll. We’re not going to get much business until the beach is open.”

Kokotas, 47, said his only customers before noon were cops asking for coffee.

One group of beachgoers managed to sneak in a quick dip before police chased them out of the water.

“People can go on the train together, they can go on the beach together. But no swim together?” said one of the women, who only identified herself as Olga, 68. “It’s a joke.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s strict no-swimming restriction drove some New Yorkers out to Long Island, where Gov. Andrew Cuomo is allowing state beaches to cordon off swimming areas.

“I came here because New York City beaches are closed,” said Jennifer Cruz, 33, who said she traveled 2 1/2 hours from Crown Heights for the surf and sand at Jones Beach State Park.

“I don’t agree with that,” Cruz said. “If Cuomo can open his beach with restrictions and safety measures, de Blasio could have done the same and saved me this trip.”

“Nothing would stop me from coming today — not even the distance or the weather.”

Parks officials set up flags along the shore to designate swimming spots, with lifeguards standing by. But, in part hampered by overcast weather, the crowds just weren’t there — with the towel-to-towel masses of past Memorial Days never materializing.

And the social-distancing rules were enough to turn some away, swimming or no swimming.

“I just ran five miles,” said Nayeem Malik, 35, of Queens Village. “What’s the point of staying if you can’t barbecue? Plus, it’s about social distancing. I don’t want to be around people.”

Federal beaches at Jacob Riis and Fort Tilden national parks were closed, according to the National Park Service. The Gateway beach at Sandy Hook was “unprotected,” the service said its website. The agency did not respond to a request for clarification Sunday.