SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego's Sheriff offered clarification Monday on how the county's public health orders affect golf courses.
The Sheriff's Department says while golfing and parking at courses falls under Public Health Officer Wilma Wooten's order closing beaches, parks, and recreation areas, there's one caveat.
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If management at a golf course chooses to open the property for walking, hiking, biking, or horse riding, people who live within walking distance and are in the same household may use the property for those activities. Families may not gather with other groups or use the property for golfing, according to SDSO.
"... As long as members of one family or household do not actually play golf and do not gather with any other persons, the management of the course may permit them to walk, hike, ride horse or bicycle on the property," SDSO's release said. "Furthermore, the golf course must be within walking distance of the family's home."
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San Diego County has closed parking lots at parks and beaches and banned active sports activities, citing social distancing orders regionally and statewide. This month, local authorities began issuing citations for social distancing violators.
The county recommends staying six feet away from people who are not members of the same household and to avoid groups while engaging in any passive activities, like walking or hiking.
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"While playing golf or engaging in similar activities may seem to some to be a permissible exception to the rule, the fact is the orders exist to protect public health," SDSO's release said. "The more we stay at home, limit contact with others and practice good hygiene, the shorter and less severe this crisis will be."