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A feeling of nostalgia enveloped the air yesterday at the Hellshire Beach in Portmore, St Catherine, as a few beach fanatics expressed how difficult it was for them to be barred from their place of relaxation and fun for a few months.

The Government, in its attempt to stem the spread of COVID-19, had ordered all beaches, rivers and similar place of amusement closed.

Beaches were provisionally reopened yesterday, but under strict guidelines. Beachgoers can only swim and jog, and groups of more than 10 are not allowed. But those who spoke to THE STAR were just happy to be out.

"The beach is my sanctuary ... and when you take that away from me, it's like I'm about to go crazy. I fly all over the world to go to beaches and I couldn't fly out. So as soon as they said beaches were gonna be open, I knew I just had to be here," Naud Pinnock told THE STAR. "I set my alarm for 5 a.m. and I left Spanish Town and got here like 6:15; man, I'm happy."

When asked if he is concerned about possibly contracting the novel coronavirus, he swiftly responded, "No."

"COVID fear was never a thing for me," he said. "I don't think I'll get sick from the virus, so I'm just enjoying myself."

We had to be here

Best friends Abi-Gail Palmer and Staci-Ann Shaw said they had been anticipating the reopening.

"We made plans because we had to be here on the first day out to catch the nice, cool breeze and everything," said Palmer. "It feels wonderful to just put my foot in the sand and the water. Trust me, the vibe is here, and I just had to be at the beach today with my best friend."

"We left out from about after 8 a.m., so we went to bed with the beach on our minds. Even driving over, I just couldn't wait to reach so I could feel some breeze. Can't believe I'm finally out of the house with my friend again; it feels good," Shaw added.

Portmore native Keree Palmer said that she feels content now that she has a chance to take her daughter outside for a day at the beach.

"It feels great to be out, it's just a good experience, especially for my daughter. She is four, so the level of excitement when she came out this morning, compared to being cooped up the last couple of days, just makes me feel happy," she said. "The last time I went to the beach was last year summer, so you know it's even more excitement."

But Palmer said that she was still concerned about COVID.

"I don't want everybody to get too relaxed and forget about it, so right now, I stay by myself and avoid getting close to people," she said.