County issues confusing order on park openings for Easter Sunday.

Monterey County officials thought they were doing a good thing.

On April 5, county Resource Management Agency Director Carl Holm sent out a press release announcing rules for park access during the upcoming Easter weekend, and explained that local agencies and State Parks would be working to accommodate the public while complying with local and state shelter-in-place orders enacted for the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Monterey County Parks, Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District, State Parks and the Bureau of Land Management all plan to be open to the public Easter Weekend so residents can enjoy healthy, outdoor activities. Rangers will be monitoring group size requirements (10 people or less) and social distancing of six feet."

There would be additional restrictions for safety purposes, the release stated. A single point of entry, no barbecues allowed, and no large bags or ice chests. In addition, the county asks that park users park in designated areas only, don't congregate in parking areas and respect surrounding neighborhoods. 

"Rangers will be on hand at all area parks and may close facilities that become too crowded or if patrons are not following social distancing requirements," the announcement stated. 

There was nothing new in that press release about access to county parks—they remain open, as they have been during the whole of the state's and county's shelter-in-place orders—to allow people to hike or walk, as long as proper social distancing measures are in effect. State Parks officials, meanwhile, have closed all their parks to all vehicle access, while certain State Parks are closed entirely to the public, according to a frequently updated list on the California Department of Parks and Recreation website. And Monterey Peninsula Regional Parks remain open for regular use, again with social distancing recommendations, but are closed to group activities. (In addition, play structures, bathrooms and other high-touch facilities remain closed.) 

But given that on April 3, county Health Officer Edward Moreno enacted new and stricter shelter-in-place orders that include the recommendation that people seeking outdoor exercise should do so in their own neighborhoods, and that officials would begin cracking down on gatherings that violated the order, the public outcry at Holm's release was relentless and immediate. 

Some of the kinder comments on the county's Facebook page: "This is reckless and irresponsible." "This is a horrible idea." "This is totally unacceptable." "This is absolutely ridiculous." And given that people are being separated from their families, forced to stay indoors and are losing their livelihoods, one woman stated plainly: "This is a slap in the face."

In the county's regular virtual press conference on April 6 about the Covid-19 pandemic, County Administrative Officer Charles McKee addressed the situation, saying the message from the park's department is consistent with Moreno's new and stricter shelter-in-place order, which still allows people to go outdoors for walking, hiking and bicycling for exercise.

But the message the county meant to convey in the release was to make sure people were using the park for exercise purposes—i.e., hiking and walking—and not for congregating or holding holiday picnics. 

"The message was to make sure there are no congregations happening at any of the parks," McKee says. "However, with that said, we also recognize that Easter weekend, Easter Sunday and that weekend is a time when many people in Monterey County do congregate in parks and have big events in parks. And so we're gong to need to look at whether there's going to be a need to close down the parks for Easter Sunday and maybe Easter weekend so we don't have the congregations that normally happen for that religious holiday."

County Supervisor Luis Alejo says he's asked Monterey County Counsel to place a potential park closure on the agenda for tomorrow's Board of Supervisor's meeting for reconsideration and possible action. 

"I think from county staff's point of view, there was some intent to keep trails open on a limited basis, but certainly I think everyone recognizes that on Easter, county parks get some of the largest crowds of the year," Alejo says. "It's hard to put the burden on county staff to enforce limits. It's not fair and it's not practical. At a time when the Health Officer made the order more stringent, it's counterproductive to the Health Officer's message asking people to stay home."