As people have increasingly ventured out to parks and beaches in recent days, defying stay-at-home orders, governors have labored to balance the goals of curbing the coronavirus and limiting public restlessness.
In some cases, authorities are strategically allowing exemptions to pandemic restrictions with an eye toward alleviating tensions. In others, they are cracking down by tightening regulations to prevent crowds from gathering.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order Thursday extending the state’s “safer at home” order until May 28. The state will not go back to full lockdown, however. Michiganders can go hiking, kayaking, and exercise outdoors, as long as they maintain a distance of at least 6 feet.
“We will monitor data so that we can pull back if we see a spike in cases that could overwhelm our hospitals. We will pull back if it’s necessary, although we hope it’s not,” Whitmer said Thursday.
Recent data shows that people have been more mobile in the last week. Data from Apple, based on the usage of Apple Maps, shows that the seven-day average for people walking rose 15% from April 28 to May 5. Driving and the use of mass transit rose by about 14% and 11%, respectively.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, too, moved to ease his state’s stay-at-home order following well-attended demonstrations against the ban on beachgoing in Huntington Beach and wider Orange County last weekend. Newsom announced Tuesday that several beaches in the county can reopen as long as people avoid crowds.
Whitmer, Newsom, and others have provoked ire from their residents in recent weeks due to stringent lockdown measures some viewed as excessive, although recent polling suggests that a sizable majority of the public is more concerned that states will ease restrictions too quickly. Still, as the spread of the virus has slowed and more people have suffered from “quarantine fatigue,” they and others have responded by loosening restrictions little by little.
“All I ask again is we conduct ourselves to the extent we can safely and do so in a way that not only protects your personal health, but the health of others you may come in contact with,” Newsom said at a Monday press briefing.
In many coronavirus hot spots, however, state leaders are far more cautious about loosening lockdown procedures.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday that the state will hand down guidance to popular beach towns about managing crowds and enforcing social distancing soon, but did not specify when. Several municipalities recently opened their beaches, but the state government will make suggestions as to how they can continue to let people into parks and onto beaches safely. State parks reopened last weekend, limiting parking to 50%, which kept crowds at a minimum. The guidance handed down to beach towns along the Jersey Shore will likely include similar limits on capacity.
“We’re encouraged by the compliance over the weekend with the state and county parks. That’s a good thing,” Murphy said Monday.
Localities have also grappled with the fact that the increase in mobility appears to have been coupled with an increase in people who do not follow social distance guidelines.
Data from Unacast, a location data firm, suggests the increase in mobility may be more social. Its encounter density measure, which shows how often two or more mobile devices were in the same place at the same time, rose to 40% below normal on Tuesday. It was 75% below normal a week prior.
Police in Miami Beach issued over 7,300 warnings to people in public parks who did not wear face masks last weekend, a CBS affiliate reported. Officials closed heavily trafficked South Pointe Park after a majority of the warnings were issued there. Mayor Dan Gelber said it would be impossible to open the beaches any time soon if people could not adhere to park guidelines.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio hinted Thursday that he will pull back on his recent decision to open city parks after they were inundated last weekend with New Yorkers eager to get outside.
“We can’t let that happen, and we have to limit the number of people going in,” de Blasio said Thursday.
Some parks, de Blasio said, lend themselves to overcrowding. He and city health officials will announce steps to limit park entry on Friday.
Twenty-five states have reopened at least partially. Many restaurants are permitted to operate at 50% capacity, and most states have reopened fitness centers or outdoor spaces such as hiking trails and beaches. Six states’ lockdown measures are set to expire within the next week, while commerce and outdoor activity in 19 states, as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, remain restricted.
