Ocean City restricts access to ocean, cites medical waste washing onshore

OCEAN CITY, Md. – Sunday afternoon Ocean City officials announced that the ocean has temporarily been closed for swimming and other water-based activities.

The closure is due to the discovery of medical waste washing up onshore.

In a statement, Emergency Services Director Joe Theobald said, “We will work closely with the Worcester County Health Department and other public health authorities to investigate the source of the medical waste, until we are confident that the situation is under control, we recommend wearing shoes on the beach and avoiding the ocean entirely.”

Ocean City says it will “continue monitoring the beach, removing debris, and updating the public as we gather more information.”

Shortly before the announcement from Ocean City, the Maryland Park Service put out a notice that Assateague State Park, along with other beaches along the Maryland coast, were restricting access to the ocean. The Park Service also cited medical waster washing onshore as the reason for the closure.

Neither Ocean City nor the Maryland Park Service has indicated what the source of the medical waste might be.