Sonoma County Parks To Reopen For Biking, Walking

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Sonoma County residents will be free to walk or bike to their neighborhood park starting Wednesday amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the county's Public Health Officer said.

Dr. Sundari Mase confirmed the "soft opening" of the parks during Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting. The parks have been closed since March 23, less than a week after Mase's countywide shelter-at-home health order on March 17.

Parking lots at the parks will be closed except to disabled residents with a placard in their vehicle. Parks on the Sonoma Coast will remain closed.

Residents will still have to keep 6 feet of social distance from others and wear face coverings outdoors.

• RELATED SONOMA COUNTY NEWS RELEASE: Restrictions On Sonoma County Parks Closures Eased

The text of the parks' soft opening order was not yet posted on the county's website early Tuesday afternoon, and supervisors raised questions about crowd control and a limit on the number of people allowed in a park.

"There is no numerical formula yet," County Counsel Bruce Goldstein said.

Supervisor Shirlee Zane, who has favored easing the restrictions on parks as a balm to the community's mental health, said the county should provide bike racks and sanitizing stations. Zane suggested parks could also provide a drop-off site.

"This is far from perfect because it raises an equity issue. Not anyone can walk to a park," Hopkins said.

Hopkins and Zane also expressed concern about preventing the coronavirus from spreading via bathrooms at the parks.

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