How to Cite
Abstract
During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities for indoor and sometimes outdoor recreation were restricted across the world. Despite restrictions, many greenways and rail-trails saw increased use. Messaging from the federal and state public health authorities stressed the importance of social distancing and other preventive measures in reducing spread of the coronavirus. Little is known about actual behaviors of individuals and groups using these outdoor recreational opportunities. This study used passive infrared cameras to systematically observe physical distancing behaviors on multi-user trails to assess safety implications of trail use during June 2020. Most interactions occurred with the recommended six feet of distance between users. Maintaining six feet of distance is more likely to occur when groups are no larger than one person, users pass while traveling in opposite directions, and trails are wider. Messaging on multi-user trails should target how groups pass other groups such as: ‘keep six feet’ and ‘pass single file’.
References
Anderson, R. M., Heesterbeek, H., Klinkenberg, D., & Hollingsworth, T. D. (2020). How will country-based mitigation measures influence the course of the COVID-19 pandemic? Lancet, 395, 931–934.
Associated Press. (2021). UC Berkeley COVID-19 lockdown bans outdoor exercise. U.S. News. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/california/articles/2021-02-11/uc-berkeley-covid-19-lockdown-bans-outdoor-exercise
Bahl, P., Doolan, C., Silva, C. d., Chughtai, A. A., Bourouiba, L., & MacIntyre, C. R. (2020). Airborne or droplet precautions for health workers treating coronavirus disease 2019? Journal of Infectious Diseases, (online ahead of print) jiaa189. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiaa189
Bursztyn, L., Rao, A., Roth, C. P., Yanagizawa-Drott, D. H., & National Bureau Of Economic Research. (2020). Misinformation during a pandemic. National Bureau of Economic Research.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, July 30). Visiting parks and recreational facilities. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/visitors.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, October 28). Deciding to go out. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/deciding-to-go-out.html
Freeman, S., & Eykelbosh, A. (2020). COVID-19 and outdoor safety: Considerations for use of outdoor recreational spaces. National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health. https://ncceh.ca/documents/guide/covid-19-and-outdoor-safety-considerations-use-outdoor-recreational-spaces
Fulton, J. E., Frederick, G. M., Paul, P., Omura, J. D., Carlson, S. A., & Dorn, J. M. (2017). Increasing walking in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: The walk to fly study. American Journal of Public Health, 107, 1143–1149. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.303766
Lindsey, J. (2020, April 17). Inside the controversial 6-foot social distancing study. Outside. https://www.outsideonline.com/2411878/new-research-social-distancing-outside-six-feet
McHugh M. L. (2013). The chi-square test of independence. Biochemia medica, 23(2), 143–149. https://doi.org/10.11613/bm.2013.018
Oosterhoff, B., Palmer, C. A., Wilson, J., & Shook, N. (2020). Adolescents’ motivations to engage in social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Associations with mental and social health. Journal of Adolescent Health, 67(2), 179–185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.05.004
Qazi, A., Qazi, J., Naseer, K., Zeeshan, M., Hardaker, G., Maitama, J. Z., & Haruna, K. (2020). Analyzing situational awareness through public opinion to predict adoption of social distancing amid pandemic COVID-19. Journal of Medical Virology, 92, 849–855.
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. Trail Count Data. Retrieved February 10, 2021, from https://www.railstotrails.org/COVID19/#trailcount
Shahidi, S. H., Hassani, F., & Stewart Williams, J. (2020). Physical activity during COVID-19 quarantine. Acta Paediatrica, 109, 2147–2148.
Slater, S. J., Christiana, R. W., & Gustat, J. (2020). Recommendations for keeping parks and green space accessible for mental and physical health during COVID-19 and other pandemics. Preventing Chronic Disease, 17(E59), 1–5. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd17.200204
Soler, R. E., Leeks, K. D., Buchanan, L. R., Brownson, R. C., Heath, G. W., Hopkins, D. H., & Task Force on Community Preventive Services. (2010). Point-of-decision prompts to increase stair use. A systematic review update. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 38(2 Suppl), S292–300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2009.10.028
State of North Carolina. COVID-19 orders & directives. https://www.nc.gov/covid-19/covid-19-orders-directives
State of West Virginia. (2020, March 19.) Executive Order No. 9-20. https://coronavirus-wvgovstatus-cdn.azureedge.net/STAY_AT_HOME_ORDER.pdf
University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. (2020). Oxford’s coronavirus policy tracker adds data for US states.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2021 Thomas Bias, Shay Daily, Christiaan Abildso, Heather Venrick, Elizabeth Shay, Samantha Moyers, Adam Hege, Vaike Haas, Angela Dyer, Robert Broce, Richard Christiana