‘Out here, I feel alive.’ Sacramento-area residents doing what they can outdoors amid coronavirus
Funny thing about dogs.
They don’t comprehend social distancing. These are social creatures, magnets to each other.
On sidewalks and in parks, they get right up into each other’s business, and that played out plenty on Saturday across the Sacramento region when the weather was too good to ignore despite an aura of unprecedented anxiety over the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.
Saturday was the start of the first weekend of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order to all Californians aimed at slowing the spread of the virus that can cause COVID-19 respiratory failure.
Restaurant, bars, gyms, schools, strip malls and other non-essential businesses and venues are shuttered across the county to keep people safe. But Newsom and other elected officials continue to encourage people to adhere to common sense — wash those hands — and to get a little fresh air when they can. Go exercise to ward off cabin fever. Go walk yourself and the dog. And maintain social distancing, people-to-people.
At Land Park, dogs outnumbered people.
Many Sacramentans took the shelter-in-place mandate to heart to stay home in large numbers. Parking was easy to find, a rarity in better times. One woman gave a firm tug on her Labrador that was getting the sniff down from a wrinkly-faced pug, and off everyone went. She offered as she picked up her pace, “Is dog interaction even allowed anymore?”
Always.
As the day warmed up, the dogs were passed up by joggers and those on bikes.
The Land Park Golf Course is off-limits to canines, but humans wanting to leg out a few holes were encouraged to come on in.
Business is open — even though the city-owned, privately-operated facility is not specifically deemed an essential business under the state orders. It’s popular Mulligan’s Cafe on location was closed, like most food service around town without drive-throughs or delivery.
Traffic at local golf spots’ has been down 25 percent, golf managers say, as people have stayed away from any place that draws a crowd. Some area courses have gone as far as to not allow golf carts or to accept cash payments — anything that might include a lot of touching.
“Oh, golf is so good for the mind and soul,” said Walt Evans, 75, of Elk Grove as he approached the first hole. “We need to all remain concerned about coronavirus, but it’s OK to keep on living. Out here, I feel alive.”
Said Land Park Golf Course General Manager Tyler Brown, “We all have our marching orders of being safe, but golf is always a great thing. (It’s) good to get outside. We have a lot of walkers with the golfers. It’s still there.”
Ancil Hoffman Park in Carmichael on Saturday offered an abundance of parking and a lot of excited dogs bounding through tall grass. The nearby golf course with its manicured greens wasn’t booming of business, per the norm on a sunny Saturday, but there was activity.
“If it ever gets to the point where we can’t golf, then I’ll panic,” said John Evans, 73, of Carmichael. “A lot of us need this, something good in our lives.”
While gyms, yoga studios and the like are specifically closed under Newsom’s order, parks in the capital region largely remain open.
For those looking for a break in shelter-in-place with some shelter-in-outdoors, consider these, just remembering that the contact with other people, or possibly contaminated surfaces, are what put you at risk.
▪ State parks are open. Campgrounds are not. From the news release: “(Non-campground) outdoor areas of parks, including trails and beaches, remain open. Visitors are reminded to practice social distancing and maintain at least six feet between other visitors and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.”
▪ The Sacramento County order spells out guidelines: “To engage in outdoor activity, provided the individuals comply with Social Distancing Requirements as defined in this Section, such as, by way of example and without limitation, walking, hiking, biking, running or equestrian activities.” The state order provides similar guidelines, too.
▪ Yosemite National Park is closed. But you can enjoy it remotely online.
Back at Land Park, the basketball court — with actual nets — included just two people, unheard of in normal times.
Anthony York and his 9-year old son, Griffin, engaged in a full-court session, the kid skunking pops off the dribble, on the free-throw line and from Steph Curry range.
“Normally, Griff would be at a Little League baseball game today, but that’s all been canceled,” said York, who works for the California Medical Association. “Kids need kids, to be social. It’s a big part of their development, but we’re finding creative ways to be active during this new reality. The world is changing every 24 hours.”
Griffin was sporting a Kings T-shirt, a shock of brown hair worthy of a shampoo endorsement and a broad smile.
Griffin said he is adjusting to at-home schooling and an altered life in general in a conversation that showed he is mature beyond his years.
“Sometimes, I go coo-coo crazy being inside so much, but I’m doing OK,” he said. “It helps to get out and play.”
In big-picture speak, Griff offered to kids and adults, “I would tell people to get out of the house and get active. Don’t stay on the screen too long.”
This story was originally published March 21, 2020 at 4:11 PM.