A Glimmer of Hope on the Horizon

Sunrise & Ralph - Ocean Grove, New Jersey

A Glimmer

The Governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, announced this week that New Jersey State and County parks will be allowed to open on Saturday, May 2^nd and that Municipal parks may open at their discretion. The hours of operation may be limited and they are blocking out 50% of the available parking to help keep crowds down. We still have to practice social distancing and the restrictions on "gatherings" is also still in effect.

This is the first sign that we have had in a while that life is going to get better and we are moving in the right direction. We still have a long way to go but opening the parks in an encouraging first step. The one caveat was that if people don't abide by the restrictions and the parks start to get over-crowded again, they will be closed. That seems reasonable to me.

Okay - here's the deal.... Let me preface this with:

I have friends and family who are on the "front lines" battling this damned virus; I also know people with friends and loved ones who are sick and/or died from it. I am not insensitive to the problem. I am also in the "high risk" category along with the rest of my family. Trust me, if I thought this was going to cause great harm I would be screaming at the top of my lungs!

Opening the parks on a limited basis is a good thing, provided people do as they are supposed to. For me, it has nothing to do with "exercise" and walking thru the neighborhood would actually be bad for me as walking on asphalt is hard on my knees. My use of the parks is for being in nature, the solitude I get on the trails and for photography opportunities. That is how I unwind and slough off the crap of the day.

The closing of the parks drove more people to the boardwalks and beaches that are still accessible so you had the same people but in a smaller area. The National Park System actually had to close Sandy Hook due to the crowds! When the weather starts getting warmer, the situation will get far worse.

Personally, and this is only my opinion, I don't believe opening the parks will cause a spike in cases but I do believe it will help us get thru this difficult time in a better state of mind. I know I may be a little selfish but, dammit, I want to be able to go to Belmar and shoot a sunset over Shark River or catch a sunrise at Manasquan Reservoir. Even having the OPTION of doing that puts me in a better state of mind. Having the ability to walk out my back door and into the woods for a quick break when work is beating me up would do a world of good but, since the woods are part of a park, I cannot.

You're chances of infection are far greater at a grocery store - if for no other reason than the close proximity of other people and difficulty avoiding being close. There is no way to pass someone in an aisle AND maintain 6 feet separation. You have to assume that every surface you touch has been contaminated - are you really that careful? Wearing gloves is great but they will still be as infected as your bare hand so touching your face with a glove on, well, you get the picture. Even if you are "in and out", I guarantee that you will be in the company of far more people that I will, even if I spend 2 or 3 hours in a park. I am also not touching anything but the ground and maybe a random tree or flower along the way. I think the odds of someone touching and infecting that same tree or flower are rather astronomical - wouldn't you agree?

I know that, maybe, I am an exception and I do know there are a lot of jerks who complain about their "Constitutional rights" who are going to disregard the restrictions simply because they're a%%holes. They feel that their right to unwittingly spread the virus is more important than our right to be safe. We will have to deal with that scenario as it comes up. If you are out and see people gathering, call the local police and let them know. If it becomes a problem, the governor will close them again.

So, there you have it, be that as it may.