Avoid going for hikes and clogging up parking lots at city parks this weekend, officials say

It's a long weekend and while in the past people may have taken advantage of nice spring weather to hit local trails and parks, this year officials are telling people to stay home.

Regional Chair Karen Redman called on people not to drive their cars to parks in the cities or townships.

"The safest thing to do is to stay home," she said during Wednesday's media briefing.

"Crowded trails, forests and parks reduce your ability to maintain proper physical distancing. So do busy parking lots," Redman added. "Remember, people spread COVID-19."

While the Grand River Conservation Authority has closed all its parks for the foreseeable future, city and township parks and trails remain open for "walk through" access. It means not stopping at a bench, using picnic areas or washrooms.

Shayne Turner, director of municipal enforcement services for the City of Waterloo, says the city is discouraging people from driving or taking transit to a park to go for a walk. Instead, people should focus on walking in their own neighbourhood.

"We would suggest that people be responsible, stay safe, and the best way to do that is to stay home," he said in an interview Thursday. 

"If somebody feels the need to go for a walk, they should walk locally using whatever trail or sidewalk that is close to their home. We are really actively discouraging people from driving to a park just to go for a walk or driving to a street that might have an entrance to a trail on it."

He said if people are going for a walk, they should make sure they stay with their family unit, keep a physical distance of two meters or more from other people and remember that basketball courts, tennis courts, dog parks and playgrounds are closed.

GRCA parks closed

The conservation areas were closed under an order from the province on March 24. Lisa Stocco, the communications manager for the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA), says no one has been charged with trespassing, but staff are regularly finding people on GRCA-owned properties.

"Our staff have been working to physically close our properties and post signage as much as possible," Stocco said in an email on Thursday. "Our staff are also educating people of the closures when encountered on the properties, and are actively working with our municipal partners and police services where appropriate."

She added people who "choose to ignore the closures are, in fact, trespassing and charges may be laid."

A frequently asked questions page on the GRCA website also notes there will be no spring turkey hunting permitted this year on GRCA land.

'We're taking this seriously'

Bylaw officers, public health inspectors and police will be actively patrolling local parks, the region's CAO Mike Murray said. They've issued warnings and have laid one charge against an individual, Murray said, though it's best for everyone if people comply with the recommendations to stay home.

"We're taking this seriously and we want the whole community to take it seriously," Murray said Wednesday. "We'll be out and about actively enforcing all of the guidelines and regulations."

Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region's acting medical officer of health, urged people to maintain physical distancing both while marking a religious holiday over the weekend and when wanting to get some exercise.

Not doing so could have dire consequences, she said.

"Any relaxing of our measures will subsequently lead to more cases than we otherwise would have had and a more rapid escalation of severe cases and deaths," she said.

"Without those measures, we would have experienced an exponential, uncontrolled rise in cases and our healthcare system would have been overwhelmed."