Group Outdoor Activity Restricted by New Order

Skateboarders at Wild Rose Park last week before the new pubic health order went into effect. / NatomasBuzz.com Photo

BY BRANDY TUZON BOYD
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz

A new county public health order issued this week places more restrictions on group activity outdoors.

Sacramento County residents may continue to leave their homes to walk, hike, bike and run, but the order issued Tuesday prohibits all non-essential gatherings of any number of individuals.

Public parks will remain open, but park amenities will be closed.

“This new order allows for violations to be reported to the Sacramento Police Departments non-emergency line,” said Miesha Ross, who coordinates constituent affairs for Mayor Pro Tem Angelique Ashby. “Reports to SacPD will be handled on a case by case basis with education being the primary focus.”

The new county public health order restricts outdoor recreation at facilities that encourage gathering and are outside of residences, such as playgrounds, tennis courts, climbing walls, pools, gyms, basketball courts. Those facilities must be closed to public access.

“New signage is scheduled to go up at parks around the city to enforce the new rules,” Ross said.

The new order will be in effect until 11:59 p.m. on May 1.

Dog parks will remain open with social distancing in practice.

The public health order is meant to reinforce the direction for all individuals to stay home. It also extends the terms of the order to increase social distancing and reduce person-to-person contact to further slow transmission of COVID-19.

The new order has additional clarifications and limitations, including:

• Requiring essential businesses to implement social distancing protocols
• Restricting access to recreation facilities
• Clarifying essential activities and essential travel
• Clarifying and limiting essential business activities
• Directing all businesses and government agencies to cease non-essential operations at physical locations in the county
• Prohibiting all non-essential gatherings of any number of individuals
• Continuing to exempt individuals experiencing homelessness from the order but urging them to find shelter and government agencies to provide it

“This new Public Health Order has additional clarification and directives, but the main point remains clear: people in Sacramento County must keep social distancing to the max,” said Dr. Peter Beilenson, Director of Health Services. “The single most important thing everyone can do to beat this is to stay home.”

You may be interested in:
To report health order violations to the Sacramento Police Departments by calling the non-emergency line at (916) 808-5471.
To report unauthorized use of Natomas Unified School District facilities such as the track to Constituent & Customer Services at (916) 561-5253.
For more information about the new Sacramento County Public Health Order effective at 11:59 p.m. on April 7 through 11:59 p.m. on May 1 go to
https://www.saccounty.net/news/latest-news/Pages/SacCountyHealthOfficerExtendsCOVID-19Order.aspx.

Signage posted at Natomas-area park meant to discourage use of picnic tables. / Photo by Larry Rodda