In my hometown, Englewood, NJ, on the opposite east
end from a pond I visited the other day, is another local landmark: Flat Rock Brook Nature Center. I
figured that the steep walk uphill from my house would provide me with healthy
exercise, and that the sight of the park would refresh my eyes. Both proved
true, especially the latter, as seen in the photo here.
At that late hour of the day, I did not want to hike
the trails that wound through the 150-acre
site. Nor, given widely circulated guidelines on physical distancing during the
coronavirus crisis, did I think it wise to pass others on those narrow paths.
Evidently, management of the park felt even more
strongly. A sign warned visitors from entering, and yellow police tape prevented them from
doing so.
In the current environment, “prevented” might be the
operative word in that last sentence. A statement on the nature center’s Website noted that “With the recent significant increase in visitation, we have decided that
adequate social distancing is a concern, so we have made the very tough
choice to temporarily close our entire property to the public. We are
obligated to do our part to slow the spread of the Coronavirus. Public
parks in Englewood have already been forced to make this decision, and
we’re following their precedent."
Flat Rock Brook is a nature preserve and environmental center patronized the most by local residents. But the concern that
forced its closure has spread to other jurisdictions. Earlier today, all parks operated by Bergen County were ordered closed.
How realistic is authority’s fears that social
distancing in these environments would be unenforceable? Last weekend, visitors
in both Foschini and Johnson Parks in Hackensack were few and far between when
I went there.
But as the temperatures rise and more people stay away from their
workplaces, how long will that underuse last? And for the unwary congregating
on park benches and tables, there is no realistic way to sanitize these
surfaces as constantly as needed.
In the meantime, citizens must endure another
disruption to their lives. Being so close to nature without experiencing it at
its fullest seems especially cruel when so many need tranquillity and beauty in their lives.
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