Free the Humans: It is time to open our beaches and parks

Last Saturday morning I drove past our local skate park, just in time to watch a young teen skate up to the caution tape that encircled the park. At irregular intervals, barricades, "No Trespassing" signs, and "Skate Park Closed Due to Corona Virus" signs, made it clear that there would be no skate park action today, and probably not for a long time. The teen stared for several moments, then, with a very dejected look on his face, turned around and skated away. It was one of the saddest things I've seen in a while. This young man, who faced a very small risk of hardship from the Covid-19 virus, was now a victim of the governmental response to the virus. It got me thinking and prompted me to write the following diatribe.

When SARS Covid 19 first became apparent it is only to be expected that all of us, even the experts, were ignorant of the potential impacts of the virus. The best scientific minds, using the best information available, probably with the best of intentions, predicted death tolls in the millions. Disinformation from China and media driven panic only served to exacerbate the problem. It was the responsible thing to do for governments to assume the worst and error on the side of safety. In the U.S., I was pleasantly surprised to see the restraint of our federal leaders to respect states' rights and the compliance of the American people, not because they wanted to surrender their rights, but because they wanted to do what was right for their neighbor.

Now, we have clear evidence that this virus is nowhere near as deadly as feared. It is not the death sentence that some politicians keep claiming. Even the grossly inflated numbers that are caused by a nonsensical reporting system are no where near where modelling predicted. Some of the most recent data shows that it is less deadly than the yearly influenza virus. It is time to restore our dignity by getting people back to work. It is time to restore our freedom to travel between states and to give the people access to the beaches and parks that their tax dollars pay for. Young couples with children should no longer be stuck in their small apartment because they are prohibited from traveling to a nicer/safer neighborhood to walk or play. Campgrounds are the perfect social distancing venue and should never have been closed in the first place. With the exception of the most crowded surf breaks, social distancing is not an issue for ocean recreation and, again, should never have been restricted. The crisis that came about because of our ignorance is no longer a crisis. There is no further justification for violating our constitutional rights. Limiting ocean access to locals clearly violates our freedom to travel and can no longer be defended rationally. Yes, there may still be a need for commonsense restrictions on travel to/from virus hotspots or restrictions on the size of groups, but that doesn't apply to the great majority of us who want to resume living our lives while causing no increased risk to others. Flattening the curve has been shown, in Sweden and Japan, to be bad science and is no longer defensible.

Recreating in the ocean has never been without certain risks, both from nature and man. We have mitigated that risk, to some extent, by having lifeguards at the most popular beaches and by having informational signage posted that allows beach users to make informed decisions regarding the risks they take. None of us has an excuse for not knowing about Covid-19. If we chose to stay home because we don't want to risk exposure for ourselves and our loved ones, so be it. Most of us are quite comfortable with that risk and, without clearly and substantially presenting a risk to others, should not be prohibited from enjoying the freedom of that opportunity.

All photos by Miguel- Mahalo Miguel