In September, the Glynn County Commission reintroduced last year’s temporary alcohol ban on St. Simons Island’s East Beach, commonly known among University of Georgia football fans as “Frat Beach.” The ban will go into effect for Oct. 29 and 30, the weekend Georgia faces off against the University of Florida Gators. Officials hope “to discourage big crowds amid a high rate of coronavirus infections,” according to Action News Jax.
When this policy was enacted for 2020’s Georgia-Florida game, along with a police presence to enforce it, the crowd was noticeably smaller than years past of the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.” An hour south of St. Simons, TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida, will no longer have 2020’s capacity limit when they host the game.
Students at the University of Georgia were asked about their thoughts on the alcohol ban, and its effectiveness on curbing the spread of COVID-19.
Hannah Selvaggi - fourth-year communications major
“I don’t think banning alcohol on the beach will discourage enough people as Glynn County is hoping for. It might make it inconvenient for the party’s tradition, but if anything, people will be more inclined to pre-game.
Georgia-Florida weekend has brought on parties for generations, so they’ll need a lot more regulations — like requiring vaccine cards — to make a noticeable difference.”
Carolyn Clark - third-year fashion merchandising major
“I think that it’s valid to a point. If people are responsible in getting vaccinated, then there shouldn’t be a problem for larger groups to gather, and also it’s on a huge beach so there’s a lot of space. It isn’t crammed like a concert.”
Cameron Bogan - fourth-year public relations major
“I’ve never been to Frat Beach myself, but I’m going for my first time this year. I imagine police presence will be prevalent to enforce [the ban]. I understand Glynn County officials are concerned with the safety of the public on their beaches, but there are definitely alternatives to maintaining safety. This won’t keep alcohol off the beaches entirely, it will just get a handful of people in trouble for it.”
Alejandra Gonzalez - third-year biochemistry and English major
“I don’t think it’ll be very effective if their goal is to reduce COVID infections. People will gather with or without alcohol, considering there’s a much lower rate of transmission outdoors, like on a beach, versus indoors — not that I believe the hard crackdowns on bars or curfews helps much with transmission either.
If I’m totally honest, I’m not sure what policy action Glynn County could take to lower COVID risk that I would agree with. With a lot of measures, if you weigh risk versus benefit, it just doesn’t support taking measures like prohibiting alcohol or closing down beaches or closing businesses.
I haven’t really talked to any friends going, but I’m guessing those people, considering their health and age, don’t mind taking the risk.”
Shiyan Zhu - fourth-year journalism major
“I’ve seen [Frat Beach] on social media before, but I’ve never been before. I think it’s safer for people to keep social distance … because you don’t know who will have the virus or who got vaccinated.”
“I think [students going] will be upset about it. I think they will have another event instead — they might just go somewhere else.”
