Parking at some state parks, beaches closed
Newsom: ‘Soft closure’ — stricter measures ahead?
Following weekend scenes of crowds enjoying outdoor recreation across California — and avoiding social distancing — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday ordered the immediate closure of parking lots at many of the state’s most popular parks and beaches in the latest restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus.
Barred from restaurants, bars, movie theaters and sporting events, Californians in recent days headed outdoors in what some called record numbers. Now, in many places, that becomes much more difficult:
The parking lot closures will affect state parks in Marin, San Mateo, Sonoma, San Diego and Los Angeles counties, according to the state park website.
“We need to practice common sense and socially distance — and that means we need to help you, help yourself a little bit more,” Newsom said in an afternoon news conference. “When you’re out there and you can’t even find parking at a beach, it suggests you’re not going to be able to practice so
“We can’t see what we saw over the weekend happen again.”
— Gov. Gavin Newsom
cial distancing.”
Newsom referred to the new measure as a “soft closure,” clarifying that people can still walk or bike to those parks for exercise. But he said stricter measures may prove necessary.
“I don’t want to close big, beautiful open spaces — not when we’re encouraging people to go outside with intention and purpose,” Newsom said. “But we can’t see what we saw over the weekend happen again.”
From the rugged parks of Marin County to the trails in the East Bay to the beaches in Los Angeles, weekend crowds had sparked worries that increased demand would negate the goal of the statewide order to limit close contact with others to help contain the virus.
“What we saw this past weekend at a lot of parks was more than what we see even on the busiest holidays,” Dave Mason, spokesperson for the East Bay Regional Park District, said Monday. “People clearly want to get out for exercise and stress release, but overcrowding is definitely a concern.”
In Marin County, health officials ordered the closure of all motorized access to all parks within the county on Sunday, including the Point Reyes National Seashore, Muir Woods National Monument and Mount Tamalpais. Los Angeles and San Diego counties announced closures of parking lots at a handful of popular beaches in Southern California, even before Newsom’s action.
“This is a necessary step to protect our community,” Lisa Santora, Marin deputy public health officer, said during the briefing.
The beaches of Santa Cruz have been visibly busier since the shelter-in-place order took effect. Though the sandy expanses offer enough room for social distancing, stairways for accessing the beach and pathways along the coast have at times been sufficiently crowded that people were often passing within 6 feet of each other.
On Sunday, with headhigh waves crashing onto the shore and mostly sunny weather, parking areas for surf spots in Santa Cruz and north to Año Nuevo State Park were packed with vehicles, and surfers in wetsuits dotted the swells and ripped down the wave faces.
Santa Cruz County hasn’t closed its beaches, but it did issue a plea Monday to avoid crowding its shoreline.
Dutch tourists Byonda Spekman, Jacob Weerman and their 10-monthold baby daughter Yenthe were relaxing Monday at Santa Cruz’s Main Beach, which was nearly empty, at the end of a three-week RV trip around the western
U.S. They said they hadn’t heard about the county’s request that “travelers” stay away from the beaches.
“It’s more healthy to go outside than to stay in,” said Spekman, 34, a primary school teacher. “I don’t know why you should say, ‘People from this area can go (to the beach) but other people can’t.’ If you’re one-and-ahalf meters from each other, then it should be safe.”
Catherine Troisi, an infectious disease epidemiologist, said those going to the beach with their family and maintaining proper social distancing etiquette aren’t an issue, but she is concerned about those who “aren’t using their
heads about it” — picking up friends from other apartments, driving to the beach together and accessing the beach through crowded pathways.
Because of the inherent potential for overcrowding and congregating at a park or beach, Troisi said she expects officials to introduce stricter regulations, including more park closures, in the coming weeks.
“The tendency is to say ‘Oh, we overreacted,’ but it’s very hard to measure what you prevented,” she said.
In San Mateo County, Año Nuevo State Park was closed Sunday, with signs directing patrons to Pigeon Point, Waddell Creek or Bean Hollow.
Jorge Moreno, a spokesperson for the State Parks Department, said the closure was intended to reduce overcrowding and also to protect the elephant seals.
And while most Bay Area parks are still open, potential closures appear imminent.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced that the city is closing all its playgrounds — as most other Bay Area cities have also done — and warned that it “will close other public spaces if needed.”
Mason said Monday that the agency is “looking for ways to minimize overcrowding,” adding that it will “likely be closing some parks, recreation areas or main gates” within the coming week.
The East Bay Regional Park District includes more than 1,250 miles of trails across 73 parks — nearly 125,000 acres in total. It ranges from the upper corner of Contra Costa County to the Alameda-Santa Clara County border, including Tilden Regional Park and Lake Chabot. It is unclear at this time what areas could be affected by closures.
Yvette Garden, 50, of Hayward, and her husband, Maisel Holmes, 49, went on a walk at Garin Regional Park, one of the East Bay Regional parks, during their lunch break on Monday to take a break from working at home.
Holmes, 49, said he recently had back surgery, so getting out and moving about is crucial and called the idea of closing the regional park system “stupid” while adding that the trails were “a blessing.”
“I know there is a disease going around, but people need to move,” he said.
Santa Clara County parks remain open and free to visitors.
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Cindy Chavez said that the county is advising people to avoid crowded areas but acknowledged it may have to do more.
“We’re asking people to make good, thoughtful decisions for their families and the community at large,” Chavez said. “We want people to be able to be healthy, but if we don’t manage that well, then we may have to be more restrictive.”