Conservation Halton closes all parks after a busy weekend of visitors not practicing social distancing
- Craig Clark
- 24 Mar 2020
After a week that saw Halton’s first COVID-19 related death and Burlington mayor Marianne Meed Ward announcing a state of emergency, locals continued to flock to parks in the area forcing Conservation Halton to close all locations indefinitely.
Park rangers reported a massive spike in visitors on Saturday as well as poor behaviour after health officials recommended social distancing and a greater effort amongst residents to stay at home.
We have decided to close all Conservation Halton parks indefinitely. This includes Kelso, Mountsberg, Crawford Lake, Rattlesnake Point, Hilton Falls and Robert Edmondson. All sites will be monitored for illegal access and trespassers will be charged. pic.twitter.com/EoWPMAgNdF
— Conservation Halton (@ConservHalton) March 22, 2020
While many visitors were responsible in the park, many have demonstrated a complete disregard for health advice said chief administrative officer of Conversation Halton Hassan Basit in a statement.
Crowds filled the parking lots on Saturday afternoon with line-ups onto the main roads, he said.
Many visitors disregarded signs that were put up around the park encouraging the need for social distancing. Some were lighting fires for groups barbecues, while others were parking on the road and hopping fences.
Conservation Halton originally tried to keep five parks open with no staff or services available apart from park rangers. After seeing the crowded parks, they decided to close all five remaining parks as of 3 pm this past Saturday.
Our parks are reaching maximum capacity and in order to keep our visitors safe, we are closing the parks as of now. If you are in the parks, we ask you to make your way back home. If you are planning to visit, we ask you to make other plans to connect with nature. pic.twitter.com/sdmIQCD0zS
— Conservation Halton (@ConservHalton) March 21, 2020
“We were trying to be one of the last available options … just to get out, to avoid cabin fever,” Basit said.
One of the parks experiencing higher than average numbers was in Burlington where Mayor Meed Ward announced a state of emergency only a few hours before.
Lead image courtesy of @ConservHalton
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