Wetand News

When I visit parks in Seattle and the region, bike along the Burke Gilman Trail, cross-country ski at WA snowparks, or go hiking in the Cascades, I note that many people are wearing masks outdoors to avoid COVID-19.  A lot of people . Some folks are clearly afraid and fearful of COVID exposure outdoors.  For example, I often see individuals making a point to avoid unmasked bikers or joggers on the Burke-Gilman trail...moving 5-10 feet off the trail and sometimes turning away. Occasionally it gets tense, as when one local scientist (not me) was angrily called a "Republican" when he was walking in a park without a mask.   The fear of outdoor spread even hit the management of Seattle Parks last year, when several parks and their parking lots were closed because of COVID fears. Photo by Nate Loper Through a Creative Commons License It is time to bring science to this issue and to relieve the worries of many who wish to enjoy outdoor recreation. In this blog, I will tell you abou

A recent tweet by the Seattle Park department combines anti-science and intimidation, going so far as to threaten a reduction of park access to the residents of Seattle. And if you are interested in equity for all of Seattle's residents, the Seattle Parks Department has other views. Their tweet is below .   Parks staff will be "collecting data" in the parks this weekend to determine whether "limits" will be needed in the near future.      The threat is clear:  if the parks are crowded this weekend expect a reduction in the availability of parking lots and reduced park hours.   With perfect conditions this weekend, the parks will be very busy. >here , >here ), the overwhelming scientific evidence is that outdoor air is very, very safe .   In fact, several more papers have come out in recent weeks that underline the safety of outdoor air, such as >example here ). It has become very clear that the key mode of transmission of COVID-19 is small particles

There is now powerful observational evidence that outdoor air is extraordinary safe regarding COVID-19, and the recent protests have helped provide it.   The protests/riots began in Seattle and other cities on May 26th.  Thousands gathered without social distancing and a good 10% had no masks.  They participated in chanting, singing, screaming and other activities that ensured plenty of droplets were injected in the air, and that unhealthful environment was "enhanced" by coughing from tear gas and other agents. Did this huge exposure result in increased spread of COVID-19?  The answer is clearly no. Consider Washington's King County, a hotbed of protests starting 26 May (see below).  Both hospitalizations and deaths showed no  upward spike after the protests (the blue line shows May 26th).  We should have seen a signal by now, since the average time to symptoms is approximately five days. >earlier blog for documentation).    Some examples of scientific p