LA County Has Closed Hiking Trails Because Too Many People Are Gathering
By Ryan Fonseca
Published Mar 24, 2020 9:20 AM
People practicing social distancing to protect themselves from the coronavirus take in a sunny day while hiking a popular trail in the Santa Monica mountain range in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 22, 2020. Brian Melley/AP
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To get some fresh air and exercise, you don't have to stay home, but you can't hike Los Angeles County's trails.
All trails managed by the county's Department of Parks and Recreations are closed until further notice.
— Los Angeles County Parks & Recreation (@lacountyparks) March 24, 2020
The county's initial Safer at Home order allowed for outdoor activities, including hiking. Now authorities are asking that county residents stay in their neighborhoods for fresh air and exercise and avoid parks, trails and local beaches, where large crowds gathered over the weekend.
"There are many people — and everyone saw the pictures all weekend — who are congregating on our trails, and on the beaches," county health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said during a media briefing today. "This is not appropriate and we ask you when you're out and about, wherever you are, to practice the maximum amount of social distancing possible, even in our outdoor spaces."
Not all of the county's communication seems to have been updated to reflect this change — the Safer at Home order still notes that hiking is OK, for instance — so we're working to get some clarity on this.
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