An infected person could infect another person with the coronavirus just about anywhere, especially in dense crowds. But the evidence suggests that the threat is greatly diminished if you are outdoors and not in a crowd.

This matters as states consider relaxing their restrictions. They should probably start reopening beaches, large parks, botanical gardens, and allowing safe and spaced outdoor activities such as golf and fishing (though not on a crowded pier), because these are good sources of recreation that appear to present a minimal risk of spread.