Another virus is quickly spreading across our region. Spring fever is afflicting residents of western Massachusetts and beyond, beckoning us out of doors to enjoy the gifts of this beautiful region.
Our usual antidotes for curing spring fever are in short supply this year. This is the season of anticipation trips to the Cape, Memorial Day barbecues, purchasing produce at local farmers’ markets, enjoying outdoor concerts, lining up for local ice cream, and of course, people-watching.
Opportunities to get outside are limited by the impact of COVID-19. To stop the spread of a deadly virus, time spent out of doors has been curtailed. Many parks and forests we long to visit are closed. Instead of mindfully enjoying fragrant spring flowers, many of us are focused on avoiding others who may put us in harm’s way.
As each new date for Gov. Charlie Baker’s shelter-in-place orders comes and goes, our hopes for fully enjoying the warmer months ahead diminish. Tanglewood, Jacob’s Pillow, the Green River Festival and so many other arts venues have canceled their seasons, adding to the numbers of unemployed, and creating concern about which businesses will be able to survive the pandemic.
Patience is wearing thin for those who are confined to their homes. Whether living alone, with a roommate or partner, or with children, being housebound is exacting its toll, especially on those who are vulnerable to mental illness.
Living with the uncertainty of not knowing when we can resume our lives has precipitated a movement to reopen cities and towns, and it’s spreading like wildfire, even though in most states the rate of infections and deaths continues to rise. Impatience has given birth to a frightening denial of the inherent dangers associated with reopening our economy that’s fueled by a know-nothing president with no regard for the sanctity of human lives.
Will spring fever drive more of us further away from home, regardless of the risks? Some local governments have been managing their concerns about COVID-19 contagion by closing outdoor gathering places. While the goal of prevention is honorable, such closings can drive people to seek exercise in places like our already too crowded and too narrow bike paths.
Around the world, some areas are using the pandemic as an opportunity to create entertainment and recreational venues that lessen viral spread, while promoting healthier environments and economies. Roads that were once the sole purview of automobiles are being reinvented for pedestrians and cyclists.
From Milan to Minneapolis, bike lanes are being easily created with traffic cones and paint. Oakland, California recently closed 74 miles of its streets to cars to create more space where pedestrians could walk, while observing social distance. Parking spaces are being used to extend sidewalk space, and open fields and parking lots have been converted to drive-in movie theaters.
Germany has led the way in creating rave auto-discos, where parking lots are turned into dance parties, where DJ’s pipe in music to an audience of “car dancers.” The emphasis is on creating small communities, like Paris’ “15 minute neighborhoods,” where residents can access what they need by foot or bike.
In some areas, restaurants offer outside dining in tables spaced at least six feet apart, making sure to disinfect after each use. “Touchless technology” can be used to trigger traffic lights at crosswalks.
I have been imagining how our communities can create safe, sane and sustainable opportunities to enjoy summer out of doors. It might start with local coalitions that include those in city government (health departments, mayors, zoning departments, etc.), urban planners, business owners, economists and artists to propose solutions that fit their communities.
How can some of our usual summer activities be adapted for social distancing? When it comes to contagion, evidence demonstrates that being out of doors is less risky than being in enclosed areas. The possibilities are endless if people have the will to engage in discovering adaptive solutions that may ultimately pave a path to gradually opening up our communities using ideas informed by science. To safely enjoy this summer and beyond, each of us has to recognize our own duties to each other as well as ourselves. I envy countries whose cultural norms emphasize a collective duty to keep everyone safe. Even in the U.S. freedom must be limited when it threatens public safety.
Greenfield resident Jeff Sauser is an urban planner who specializes in urban design. He emphasizes the importance of discovering adaptations to current conditions that can create “a semblance of normalcy” which can become part of our collective memory of this period.
While urban planners are trying to predict how life will change after the pandemic, Sauser prefers the concept of “tactical urbanism” to focus on present needs with affordable solutions that can be implemented quickly, yet safely. He stresses the importance of making sure everyone in a community understands and agrees to the rules for interaction, whether it means wearing face masks, staying six feet apart, or setting aside particular hours in parks for older and vulnerable adults.
Getting outside does not have to be an exercise of fear and avoidance if we open ourselves to new possibilities.
Sara Weinberger of Easthampton is a professor emerita of social work and writes a monthly column. She can be reached at columnists@gazettenet.com.