Officials in California have dumped 37-tons of sand into a popular skate park tp prevent young skaters from continually violating the stay at home order and to promote social distancing. Officials filled in the park in San Clemente, CA to ensure that people adhere to the order.
“San Clemente had shut down all its parks and facilities on April 1 under the state’s stay-at-home orders, but skaters ignored signs warning against trespassing at the Ralphs Skate Court, 241 Avenida La Pata,” a report said. “Since park facilities have been closed city officials say they routinely saw people visit the skatepark, even by some children accompanied with their parents, according to the San Clemente Times. City officials told the newspaper they followed in the footsteps of other cities, and filled the skatepark with 37 tons of sand.”
Other skate parks in the Los Angeles area have since followed suit with one in Venice also being filled up with sand.
“By Friday afternoon, the ramps and bowls at the park located at 1800 Ocean Front Walk were buried beneath enough sand to make them unrideable,” KTLA reported. “All parks, beaches, bike paths and trails in Los Angeles County are closed until at least May 15 to support social distancing under the county’s Safer at Home order. At Venice Beach, all parking lots, bathrooms, piers and beach access points are also shuttered, along with the boardwalk and Ocean Front Walk. There is some access in the area to essential businesses.”
Los Angeles fills Venice Skate Park with sand amid #CoronavirusOutbreak
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 18, 2020
What part of this world wide pandemic of anyone anywhere carrying Covid-19 without symptoms isn’t understood? A-n-y-o-n-e a-n-y-w-h-e-r-e can be a carrier of this contagion. Yes, even young children. No one is immune from being a host. Kids, adults mingling in a skate board park may breathe a little heavier in the fresh air sunshine of California but that doesn’t make the park less prone to spread this virus. People spread it from casual gatherings, close contact, breathing with the breeze carrying a hosts virus without knowing it. A stranger now carrying this virus brings it home to spread it among family. This virus is invisible without any signs from anyone. If everyone accepts this new normal of social distancing until a vaccine is found to inoculate the entire world against Covid-19, perhaps fewer skate boarders under direct supervision may be a solution to allow skate boarding without closing board parks completely. The key words are s0cial distancing to minimize any casual spreading of an invisible contagion.