East Bay Closes Campgrounds, Parks Amid Rising Coronavirus Cases

LIVERMORE, CA — Numerous campgrounds and public gathering areas will be temporarily shuttered Sunday as mandated by the six Bay Area county regional health officers' order. The closures were prompted by a rise in coronavirus cases throughout the Bay Area.

Effective at 6 p.m. Sunday, all campgrounds, outdoor museums, visitor centers and children's playgrounds at East Bay Regional Park District locations will close. Parks and trails will remain open, but park district officials advise visitors to wear masks when within six feet of others and follow COVID-19 safety guidelines.

These public spaces will be closed until further notice. Any camp reservations made through Jan. 4, 2021 will be canceled and all customers will receive a full refund.

The closures were announced on the heels the state's renewed Regional Stay-at-Home Order, which is being triggered for regions that have less than 15 percent of ICU beds available.

Although counties within the Bay Area have not yet met that threshold, the City of San Francisco, in partnership with Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Santa Clara and the City of Berkeley opted to implement the restrictions ahead of the state.

According to the state's metrics, the Bay Area region had 25 percent of its ICU capacity remaining on Friday.

Despite these closures, outdoor activity is still encouraged by health officials during the stay-at-home order.

"The Park District reminds visitors that spending time in nature is important for mental and physical health and wellbeing," officials from the East Bay Regional Park District said in a statement Saturday.

Facility Closures Include:

• Ardenwood Historic Farm
• Regional Parks Botanic Garden
• Regional Park visitor centers remain closed, including Black Diamond, Big Break, Coyote Hills, Crab Cove, Sunol and Tilden

Campgrounds Closures Include:

• Del Valle Regional Park (Livermore)
• Anthony Chabot Regional Park (Oakland)
• Robert Sibley Regional Preserve Backpack Campground (Oakland)

The East Bay Regional Park District is comprised of 73 parks, 55 miles of shoreline and more than 1,300 miles of hiking and horseback riding trails.