As ,听caused by the novel coronavirus, spreads through the United States and around the world, many parents are finding themselves in the same situation as Jenny Morber. A mother of two from Bainbridge Island, Washington, Morber initially planned to take her kids to Italy for spring break. As Italy in the face of the pandemic, Morber thought traveling domestically might be a smarter choice, so the family changed its听plan, deciding听to visit Grand Canyon and Saguaro National Parks in Arizona. Now, with public-health experts recommending that people stay home altogether, Morber听canceled that trip, too.听
Public school districts听across the country have been closing,听as have听private schools, day-care and sports programs, and after-school activities. Spring-break destinations from Disneyland to Colorado ski resorts听recently shut down. So have听lots of听local hangouts like museums, ,听recreation centers, and restaurants.听Some states, including Washington, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and California, have banned big events outright (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends canceling or postponing听gatherings larger than 50 people). This week听in the San Francisco Bay Area, a across six counties听asked people to stay home听and to听maintain six feet of distance between themselves and others if they had to make a trip outside.
These sweeping disruptions to daily life in the United States present a challenge for parents,听though COVID-19 doesn鈥檛 pose an extreme risk to children, as far as we know.听No one 听appears to have died from the disease.听, symptoms are generally milder in kids than in adults and seniors. (Research is ongoing, and听one new study can get serious infections, too.)
Still, asymptomatic people can spread COVID-19 to others. Even if you鈥檙e not too听worried about coronavirus affecting your child鈥檚 long-term health or your own, precautions will help . Officials say that the actions of young, healthy people will save the lives of elderly and immunocompromised people听and reduce the anticipated burden the virus will put on the health care system.听
鈥淗onestly, I think it is the parks that will save us.鈥
That鈥檚 why听Morber is opting to do day hikes near her home and visit local, uncrowded public lands. 鈥淗onestly, I think it is the parks that will save us,鈥 she says.
I鈥檝e heard from numerous other people, both parents and not, who are doing their best to preserve their sanity by going for bike rides, runs, or walks in places where they can remain separate from other people. So I wanted to know: Is this a good idea? Is it still safe take your kids for a stroll听or to play outside?
Dr. Emma Kate Loveday, a virologist at Montana State University, says that if you are not sick and have access to uncrowded public lands or outdoor environments, those are generally safe places to be during the ongoing pandemic. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e in a position to go camping or be outdoors, don鈥檛 be afraid to take advantage of that,鈥 she told me.听In outdoor areas, you can often maintain the recommended safe distance of from others, and in the open air, tiny听airborne cough and sneeze droplets are than in buildings with recirculated air.听
Where and how is it safe to spend time outdoors with your family? First, for now,听avoid big-name national parks. Although they鈥檙e remaining open, destinations like Yellowstone or Zion are often crowded or require interstate travel. Plus, the small, rural communities that act as gateways to these parks may not have the health care facilities to cope with the outbreak, so it鈥檚 best to stay away.
Instead, check out underappreciated gems that are quieter and closer to home, including national forests and grasslands, Bureau of Land Management property, state and city parks, certain under-the-radar national monuments, greenways, beaches, trails, even little patches of woods. If your local standbys seem unusually busy听with people, you can research lesser known听options by looking at 听or by downloading the 听($14.99 per year for one state, with free trials available), which provides digital maps that are clearly marked.听You can also find kid-friendly trails through听, a nonprofit that offers a list of family-approved hikes organized by region on its website听as well as additional resources and information about getting outside with your kids.
If your travel plans changed at the last minute and you don鈥檛 have the gear for impromptu outings, an outdoor-experience company called rents quality equipment听for people without the space or finances for their own. Rachelle Snyder, Arrive鈥檚听chief executive officer, says the company currently requires bookings at least one week before your delivery date, but they鈥檙e dropping that to four days on April 1. All of its听gear is currently being sanitized with CDC-recommended disinfectants, too: when one of its听rental down jackets is washed, for example, Arrive听adds a disinfectant to its听regular detergent.
And while public lands may be safe compared to many indoor spaces, you still need to . Bathrooms and visitor centers act as human bottlenecks, and it鈥檚 imperative that you wash your hands thoroughly when passing through them. Even when you鈥檙e outside, maintain the recommended distance from other people鈥攁nd make sure your kids do, too.
If you or your kids are feeling unwell, it鈥檚 best to stay home entirely. 鈥淚 know it鈥檚 hard to stay inside with young children, but if your kids are sick, don鈥檛 take them somewhere just because they鈥檙e driving you crazy,鈥 Loveday says. (If you end up quarantined or sick at home with your kids, of free educational resources,听and of free games to play when your own imagination starts to lag.)
The coronavirus pandemic is a swiftly evolving situation, so one final piece of advice: before you walk out the door, double-check official local and state websites for the latest recommendations, closures, or travel restrictions. Some states have announced restrictions on overnight camping on public land, and others may close altogether. But for now, wash your hands, put on your boots, stay a safe distance from others, and go play outside.