It’s welcome news that the Regional Municipality of York reversed its decision to ban the public from using the 120-kilometres of wooded trails at the York Regional Forest in a well-intentioned move to curb the spread of the potentially deadly COVID-19.
As we’ve learned recently, the two-week closure took a toll on some residents' mental health as they struggled to practise physical distancing safely on crowded and narrow neighbourhood sidewalks, as well as in the few remaining open spaces such as Fairy Lake where one could relax and enjoy nature.
Taking a walk in the forest is as much about boosting one’s mental health and well-being while being cooped up at home during a pandemic as it is for the much needed benefit of exercise.
This is particularly important for people who have underlying medical conditions that put them at risk for developing a severe form of the disease or don’t have access to a backyard.
The region says it was following the direction of public health officials with the infectious disease control measure that aims to break the chain of transmission by shuttering spaces where people tend to gather.
After all, the evidence is compelling. As York Region medical officer of health, Dr. Karim Kurji noted: one infected person could sicken between 60 and 100 people.
Stay at home as much as possible, stay six feet away from others when out in public, and wash your hands frequently are behaviours a strong majority of us have adopted to do our part to stop the highly infectious virus. And it appears those efforts are paying off.
“With our collective efforts to help flatten the curve working, York Region is in the process of re-opening public access to the York Regional Forest, with stricter guidelines for all users,” spokesperson Patrick Casey told NewmarketToday on the eve of the two-week closure April 17.
Still, here in Newmarket, the rapidly evolving health crisis means the continued closure of community centres, the library, playgrounds and parks with fitness equipment, sport fields, and the only off-leash dog park at least until May 12, when Ontario's current state of emergency expires.
While the near-lockdown is no doubt necessary to contain coronavirus infection rates in our community, local leaders would do well to give some thought to how public space can be safely increased as the weather turns warmer and residents grow increasingly restless.
Newmarket is to be commended for keeping open the Tom Taylor Trail and Fairy Lake, but is it possible to close historic Main Street to traffic on weekends, giving people more room to space out for walking, travelling in a wheelchair, biking, walking their dog, or supporting local businesses by picking up take-out?
Treehugger magazine’s design editor, Lloyd Alter, argues in an April 17 article that open streets and parks are a matter of equity and fairness.
To support that position, Alter quotes neuroscientist Robin Mazumder, who believes that “although COVID-19 is primarily a physical illness, the way we manage it has implications on emotional health.”
We couldn’t agree more.
As municipalities begin to think about how and when to re-start communities, providing people with the space they need for their physical and mental health is a matter of urgent public safety.
— NewmarketToday
