When the Bay Area’s shelter in place order was announced over two weeks ago, I was relieved to hear that they considered “recreation” an essential activity and that outside spaces would remain open. Being outside, and getting exercise, are essential to our mental and physical health.
Two weeks later and they’ve changed their tune. First the playgrounds closed. They said it wasn’t safe for kids to be touching surfaces touched by other kids, even if they did wash their hands afterward. A lot of parents, especially those with younger kids who are going crazy being stuck inside, cried that day. I know I did, and my kids aren’t even that young.
You can see on the sign that even though the playgrounds were closed, they urged us to run, bike, hike, and enjoy nature. Then they closed all the open spaces.
On Friday my daughter and I went for a run in a county park not far from us. It requires a $6 parking fee, so I bought an annual parking pass in January, that is how much I love this park.
We went again on Monday, for a walk, and found this.
I understand that people were using the open spaces to get together in non-social distancing ways, and I understand that that behavior is not okay. I also recognize that some open spaces don’t allow for social distancing. My favorite running trail on the peninsula is too narrow and too popular for people to stay the requisite six-feet apart; I understand why it was closed. But some spaces really are not conducive to gathering – they are great for walking and provide enough space that people can practice social distancing. The fact that those spaces are closing is insane to me.
When we realized our park was closed, I sat thinking about what open space would still be open. I realized Lake Merced cannot be closed because its perimeter is a sidewalk on regular roads. So we headed over there, and as I suspected on the drive, it was packed because it’s one of the few places left for people to run and walk. This is another way closing big, open spaces back fires – it crowds the spaces they can’t close like beaches and running trails with street access.
The city’s new line is that we should be going outside only in our own neighborhoods. I find this suggestion totally short-sighted. San Francisco is not as densely populated as most cities, but still crowded enough that if people only have their own neighborhoods available for getting outside, and getting outside is the only way to leave one’s house for exercise and fresh air (and a break from the monotony of being stuck in one’s house), then those neighborhoods will be so overrun with people that they can’t possibly keep six-feet from each other.
It’s one thing to ask people to stay at home, without open spaces available, for two weeks. It’s quite another to do that for two months (or more!). The levels of anxiety and depression in the general public is rapidly rising, and giving people outside spaces would do a lot to alleviate that. I’ve never felt as panicked during this time as I did yesterday, when I realized the open-space parks were closed. I don’t know how we’ll stay sane when there is no where to walk, or ride bikes.
The city used to recognize that “recreation” is an essential activity and that our open spaces are adequate for social distancing. I hope they remember that again soon.
But when they kept parks and hiking trails open, people weren’t social distancing. People would show up to a crowded park and then rather than go home, make it more crowded. Some people were even playing soccer and basketball. In Los Angeles, the beaches are wide enough to social distance but people still weren’t doing it. These measures are necessary. It’s impossible to assess and monitor every park to determine whether people can maintain a safe distance and are actually doing it. You can go for a run in your neighborhood and run into the street to avoid people. At least in LA, the traffic has dropped considerably and it is possibly to safely do it. You can also try walking around an office park.
But won’t people just do those same things in all the places you are suggesting we go? Won’t they just walk right next to each other in their neighborhoods and congregate in office park parking lots? If people aren’t going to listen to the rules in one place they won’t listen in another. And there will always be another. So why make everyone suffer?
Because I don’t think everyone will be at them at the same time. A neighborhood block isn’t a major destination that people will travel to like a beach so it will be more staggered. I haven’t noticed the streets being more crowded since the hiking trails were closed. People are staying inside more and just going out for essential trips and brief walks rather than a two hour hike.
Yeah. I guess that is right. I’ve seen people meeting in parking lots still but I’m sure the number is less that it would be. I guess since I didn’t see the congregating ever (except for a few small groups) and we were able to be in those places without getting close to people (we pass as many, or more people in our neighborhood when we walk there) it just feels like an unnecessary restriction. Maybe if I saw more of what was unacceptable I would understand it better. It just seems so manageable to use those spaces responsibly, but I guess people can’t make good choices so we all have to pay the price.
Yes. It is hard. And it is sad. Also scary to see that this became necessary BECAUSE people did not apply social distancing outdoors as well as was hoped.
I totally do not want hospital tents set up in Golden Gate Park. Please let it not come to that.
No, I do not live in a neighborhood that is pretty for walking but every time I hear ambulance sirens I am reminded why it is important to stay local.
Yes, I would like to walk in other places; but I am SO VERY GRATEFUL that in most of the Bay Area by following Mayor London Breed’s lead we have avoided, so far and let it please continue, tent hospitals or conversion of Candlestick, Moscone Center, Kezar stadium, Oracle Park, etc.
We do not yet have any where near enough testing but clearly our hospital admission rates per capita is flatter than in other parts of the country and state. SO with that as the trade off, I am focusing on the lives we are saving and the examples we are setting for our families of how to behave in times of troubles, because our children and grandchildren’s generation will be seeing more of these in their lifetimes.
I believe you agree with me. We can absolutely agree that the ignorance and selfishness of people who disregarded the realities involved and broke rules has decreased and limited our lives more than was necessary; IF only ‘they’ had cooperated like MANY people and families did.
I wish so much that things were different. I wish things were not this new ‘normal’. I hope we do not come out of this with fewer spaces for people to be outside because our green wilderness is so important for our well being. I think we will have more people with serious agoraphobia and grocery-store-phobia when this is over than we currently imagine. This is not easy at all. There is huge grief and anxiety and fear involved.
Avoiding becoming New York or Italy is SO important.
Support and courage wishes to you all.
I guess I’m ignorant of, or in denial about the risks posed by walking outside in places where you don’t touch anything and you rarely pass someone. It seems like the positive mental and physical health benefits outweigh the small change of contracting anything. But I suppose that is only if you use those spaces responsibly and while I saw people taking the necessary precautions in those spaces I visited, others weren’t doing that elsewhere and so it all has to be shut down.
In my neighborhood people are really responsible and walk way out of the way when they see someone approaching so to me walking in the street seems totally safe. But my friend told me that her neighbor was walking her dog and told someone who got close to maintain the six feet and he told her to “f**king stay inside if she had a problem.” The streets were crowded because live near a popular hiking trail and this was before they were all shut down so hopefully things are better. But OMG!!!!
Your key word is responsible. To behave that way you have to believe there is a need to act. There was a lot of space and publicity given that this situation was neither real nor serious and that it would be gone in a snap by certain date or season and that illness would respect our borders and military. There still is huge amounts of denial and greed being served.
There are lots of people who think the problem was unforeseeable and ignore that it was predicted, and when ‘I take no responsibility’ is the approved behavior from leadership …. well, it gets emulated over and over. When the action modeled by authority figures is selfish greed and only self interest without respect for any other entity …….. many follow.
Resilience in the face of calamity is going to be so important to your children’s generation……. I hate this.
We have had the same problems here, so much that they are now monitoring roadways and pulling people over to ensure they are only driving for essential reasons (work, to get food or medical care). If people took it seriously to begin with they wouldn’t have to go to these drastic measures to keep people apart. My husband works for the local city and he said since things closed the outdoor areas were overcrowded and the city staff had to clean up after them not knowing who had been exposed, sick etc. It was dangerous so the safest measure is to close these places and force people to stay home.
I agree with all the above comments. These measures are necessary because people weren’t distancing. The Bay Area has been aggressive, but the data is starting to show the benefits of that aggression as the curve is flattening. We are not in the same situation as New York, which has been disasterous. We need people to continue to distance and these measures are needed because the alternative is something out of a horror movie.
I understand you are worried about mental health. There’s so many meditation sites and wellness groups that are available and I encourage you and other to look into them. But please don’t attack the public officials who are putting these measures into place. SARS-COV2 is extremely contagious. What’s killing people is their immune systems response to infection and a cure is still a long ways off (though many are working their butts off to expedite. Until then, these measures are necessary.
Thank you for being gentle as you educate me. I appreciate it.
I think whatever it takes to flatten the curve is ok. I think only a blanket closure will work, not a case by case evaluation of each park, which would invite ambiguity and people perhaps traveling even farther to reach an open park.
Giving up access to parks etc. is a small price to pay to keep people safe.
I’m glad they closed our playgrounds…in the early days of our order I saw kids on equipment…yikes.
Yes. I concede I was wrong. Thank you.
I just wanted to chime in and say I agree with you! And also with the commenters stressing the importance of the quarantine measures.
I think your feelings are totally valid though and I am also struggling with not only the huge lifestyle changes that happened so suddenly (no work/no daycare/no shopping/no friends or family… whoa) but now taking away such simple pleasures as walking outside.
This is a really really really big deal and really really really hard.
I think it’s ok to admit that and grieve the loss of the life we used to have. I honestly think living through this is a trauma many of us will be dealing with for a long time.
And all that being said, I also agree with the aggressive measures being taken to flatten the curve and have been committed to following all the orders and guidelines.
Thank you for sharing your feelings!
Thank you for this. I really appreciate it.
Well, I agree with the initial post. This has also happened where I live, and it means that people are just all crowding into the remaining outdoor spaces, which become fewer all the time. I do not live in a warm area, and people are generally not going outside just to hang out this time of year. There is little or no problem with distancing here. Just because we take the pandemic seriously doesn’t mean that we have to take extreme measures to mitigate a risk that doesn’t exist.