Running is a great activity and exercise at any time but especially when we need “social distance” from each other to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Here are some strategies and ideas for running safely in the current pandemic.

· Running solo is best, not in groups.

· Avoid the popular, populous running routes in the city such as Green Lake, Seward Park and the Burke-Gilman Trail.

· If you do run with another person, follow the familiar rules: stay at least 6 feet apart and don’t run if you feel sick. Some experts say running side by side is better than one behind another to avoid coming into contact with bodily fluids.

· Choose a time of day or day of the week that is less traveled by others.

· Move through parks rather than staying in a park. One idea: See how many nearby parks you can “touch” on your run. Seattle has more than 400 parks!

· Try not to spit, cough or blow mucus out of your nose while running; this could alarm (or endanger) nearby runners or pedestrians.

· If you’re so inclined, share your favorite neighborhood running route in the comments here on our Facebook page, or on Twitter!

For those itching for a little competition, check out virtual running races being organized in Seattle by Googling “virtual races Seattle.”

Finally, here is a good general resource for running during the pandemic: https://www.runnersworld.com/coronavirus/

One morning in early April, as the spread of the coronavirus and the shortage of supplies for health care workers continued to be a serious concern, Seattle Parks and Recreation employee Drew Whitman heard that a group his daughter belongs to was looking for swim goggle donations, of all things, for a virus-related emergency project. The group needed to find straps for five hundred masks that had been printed with a 3D printer, and fast. Once furnished with straps, the masks could be rushed to medical workers at Harborview Medical Center.

Drew reached out to SPR Aquatics Manager Mike Plympton and asked for permission to collect all the swim goggles that had been left in the lost and found boxes at Seattle’s swimming pools. Mike gave the ok, and the word went out to all the pool coordinators to gather whatever they had. Drew also reached out to the community through his daughter’s Facebook page and the social media site NextDoor, asking people to drop off their unwanted goggles in a bin outside the nearest pool facility.

The response was amazing; within 72 hours Drew far surpassed his goal of 500 goggles. He spent several hours removing straps from the old goggles and then handed them off to the group, who attached them to the new masks and got them to Harborview. “I wanted to help wherever I could, and that was an opportunity I had access to,” says Drew. “It was a prime example of the saying ‘It takes a village.’”

Parks are open this weekend. And we have some new guidelines to help us stay safe when using these public spaces, from now until whenever the Stay at Home order ends.

First, we are all being asked to continue to stay home, except to go outside nearby for stress relief and exercise. And Governor Inslee and Mayor Durkan agree: if your “outside” is near or in a park, you must keep it moving to help prevent crowding.

New Steps Implemented in Parks

While individuals should continue to visit the parks in their neighborhood, Seattle Parks and Recreation has implemented the following steps ahead of the weekend at the largest parks: 

• Deployment of 60 Social Distancing Ambassadors. Parks Ambassadors began last weekend and will be at all major parks to remind people to social distance and not gather. These ambassadors will take hourly data on usage and parks will be closed if usage is too high.   
• Installation of hundreds of new signs reminding the public of the Keep It Moving expectation
• All basketball courts, athletic fields, and tennis courts will be closed for use. 
• New Reporting for Lack of Social Distancing: The public can report any lack of social distancing to Seattle Parks and Recreation through social media, calling (206) 684-4075, or emailing pks_info@seattle.gov.

Four Parks with Major Changes

In addition, the following four parks will have significant changes to operation to keep people moving and distant: 

Green Lake 

• Loop trail open to pedestrian use only—map here
• Walking/running loop will be one way only (shorter accessible loop–Options 1 & 2 Option 3
• Parking lot remains closed 

Seward Park 

• Loop trail open to pedestrian use only 
• Parking lot remains closed 

Alki Beach 

• Parking lots at Seacrest and Don Armeni remain closed 
• Fire pits and picnic shelters are closed 
• No beach activities

Golden Gardens 

• Parking lots remain closed 
• Fire pits are closed 

We will continue to update you on this blog about closures and changes. Thanks for helping to combat the coronavirus and keep parks open!

Alki, Arboretum, Cal Anderson, Carkeek, Discovery, Gas Works, Green Lake, Golden Gardens, Kubota Garden, Lincoln, Magnuson, Seward, Volunteer, West Seattle Stadium, Woodland

SPD and SPR Crews and Ambassadors Will Be Onsite to Remind Individuals to Comply

CDC and DOH Recommends Individuals to Wear Cloth Face Masks When in Public

SEATTLE (April 9, 2020) –  Because of continued gatherings in major parks and crowded public places, the City of Seattle announced today the full closure of major regional parks this weekend where social distancing guidelines have not been followed by patrons. Seattle is joining major cities like Austin and Los Angeles across the country in closing major parks for the weekend. The change is effective Friday, April 10^th at 11pm and parks reopen on Monday, April 13 at 4:30 am.

Data shows that social distancing measures are effectively reducing the transmission rate, but any easing of those measures could lead to a resurgence in transmission. Moreover, all city departments are having to adjust to the impacts that COVID-19 has had on employees, their families and the city workforce. 

“These are the beautiful weather days we crave all winter, but we are living in unprecedented times and the Governor’s order isn’t stay out – it’s stay home. Seattle’s frontline medical workers,  vulnerable residents, and displaced workers need you to stay home. While Seattle is expecting near perfect weather, friends and families should not have family or friend outings, picnics or gatherings in parks. Stay home unless you need to go to an essential job or business.  If you need to take a walk in your neighborhood, be smart and don’t help create a crowded place. Too many friends, residents and families are continuing to gathering for picnics, BBQs, basketball games, and group walks.  Because we still are in danger of a spike in infections, hospitalizations and deaths we have to keep doing out part. Easing up on social distancing too early will put more people at risk, could overwhelm our health care system, and could delay the reopening of businesses. Stay home, and if you must leave your home, be smart, follow social distancing guidelines by stay at lease six feet from everyone and wear a mask” said Mayor Jenny Durkan. “Our collective effort has made an impact flattening the curve, but we must continue or face even greater and longer term consequences.”

Closing these parks temporarily will help ensure more people are keeping the distancing they need to from other people. While our neighborhood parks will remain open, the city will consider closing them or making temporary closures longer term if visitors can’t follow safety guidelines. While the City of Seattle has closed parking lots at the largest regional parks, significant gatherings and disregard for social distancing have continued.

Seattle Parks and Recreation’s eight destination parks Green Lake, Lincoln, Golden Gardens, Seward Park, Magnuson Park, Gas Works, Alki Beach, and Discovery, as well as Cal Anderson, Carkeek, Woodland Park, Volunteer Park, Kubota Garden, West Seattle Stadium, and the Washington Park Arboretum will close on Friday, April 10th at 11pm and will reopen Monday, April 12 at 4:30 am.. Stan Sayres, Magnuson, Don Armeni, and Atlantic St boat launches are also closed. Trails at Lake Washington Boulevard will remain open, but group gatherings will be prohibited. Rattlesnake Lake Recreation Area and Rattlesnake Ledge Trail will remain closed. Next week, the City will is evaluating and implementing a park by park plan to ensure residents can safely utilize larger regional parks when they reopen.

“The Police Department is asking community members to continue to follow the Governor’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order.  Seattle has worked so hard to flatten the COVID curve in our region, now is not the time for our community to become complacent,” said Chief Carmen Best.  “The Police Department supports the Mayor’s decision to close the parks, and we will work with the Parks Department to carry out this order.  However, the Seattle Police Department cannot police us out this pandemic.  Please stay at home for the health and safety of your family, friends, and loved ones.”

“As the weather has warmed up over the past few days, we’ve seen more and more people heading out to our regional parks, this has created a significant threat to the health and safety of our community. We are closing these parks to more firmly support the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, and to keep our most vulnerable neighbors safe,” said Jesus Aguirre, Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent.

Under the Governor’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, residents are encouraged stay home. If necessary, residents can visit 479 local neighborhood parks so long as they:

• Practice social distancing: respect the minimum 6 feet of separation recommended by the CDC. While on trails, warn other users of their presence and as they pass, and step aside to let others pass.
• Do not access off limits equipment or areas: last month, Seattle and King County closed all play areas and other high touch areas, such as picnic shelters, tables, and outdoor exercise equipment.
• Do not congregate in parks: this means no pick-up games, no picnics, BBQs, parties,or bonfires.
• Maintain six feet of separation for activities: hiking, biking, walking are all great ways to enjoy parks right now, just remember to give a wide berth to your fellow residents.
• Stay home if they are feeling sick.
• Practice good hygiene: follow CDC’s guidance on personal hygiene prior to and during use of parks or trails.

SPR and SPD will deploy staff to encourage social distancing at these highly frequented parks as well as locations such as Cal Anderson and Volunteer Park.

For more information about Rattlesnake Lake Recreation Area and Rattlesnake Ledge Trail, the public can call (206) 733‐9421 or email crwprograms@seattle.gov.

Due to the City of Seattle’s ongoing stay-at-home order, Seattle Parks and Recreation programs and activities that were scheduled to occur between May 4 through June 20 have been cancelled. 

All rentals and permitted events remain cancelled, and all community centers, pools, environmental learning centers, and all other recreation facilities remain closed to the public until at least May 4. 

Registration for summer programs (May 5) and camps (May 12) is still planned, though subject to change if stay at home orders continue beyond the current time frame.

“We know that these continued facility closures and program cancellations create a significant burden to the many families who rely on SPR for places to gather and connect with friends, family and community around health, wellness, educational, athletic, recreational, and environmental offerings,” said SPR Superintendent Jesús Aguirre.

SPR staff is dedicated to supporting Healthy People, a Healthy Environment, and Strong Communities, and has been finding ways for the community to engage with staff and activities via virtual programming on Facebook and YouTube. We encourage everyone to check the following resources for programming, as well as updates about SPR operations and facilities.

Stay informed:  

• Seattle Parks and Recreation Website: www.seattle.gov/parks 
• Seattle Parks and Recreation Blog: https://parkways.seattle.gov/ 
• Seattle Parks and Recreation on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/SeattleParksandRecreation 
• Seattle Parks and Recreation on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SeattleParks  
• Seattle Parks and Recreation on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu_TDwi9mJPWDKKEvY0BbrA 

If you have questions or concerns, please contact your local community center or pool, or email us at PKS_info@seattle.gov.  

As this unprecedented health emergency continues, SPR will communicate any additional program changes as soon as possible. 

In alignment with Governor Inslee’s statewide ‘Stay Home, Stay Healthy’ order, Mayor Jenny Durkan has announced that the City of Seattle’s policies on facility closures and permit suspensions will be extended until at least May 4, 2020.

All programming, rentals, and permitted events will remain canceled, and all community centers, pools, environmental learning centers, and all other recreation facilities will remain closed to the public until at least May 4. In addition, parking at Green Lake, Lincoln, Golden Gardens, Seward Park, Magnuson Park, Gas Works, Alki Beach, and Discovery Park will be closed until at least May 4. 

“Limiting person-to-person contact is saving lives, and extending the ‘Stay Home, Stay Healthy’ order is critical to continuing to flatten the curve,” says Mayor Durkan. And while preliminary data says our efforts are working, she is concerned that “too many individuals continue gathering in our parks and are not maintaining physical distancing. For the health of our community, we all must do our part. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and we will get through this if we continue to look out for one another’s health and wellbeing.”

For a list of what remains open and closed, please see this post.

You can read Mayor Durkan’s full press release here for city-wide details. For questions or information on refunds, please contact your local community center or pool.