Online petition to open Alberta golf courses safely is gaining steam
One of the big recreational questions in front of us right now is whether or not golf courses in Alberta will open and operate safely amid the COVID-19 crisis. Last week, Alberta’s top doctor said that the province’s golf courses are deemed as unessential businesses, meaning they won’t be open to the public.
Sure, golf sounds like it would be the perfect activity that gets us out of the house while practicing proper social distancing, but that is easier said than done. Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer, stated that workers can access the courses to ensure they are maintained, but doesn’t believe that they will be able to open safely.
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Understandably, an organization has stepped up to gather signatures in order to petition for golf courses across the province to open. The petition makes several points regarding the safety measures that golf can put into place, along with the pre-existing etiquette that includes social distancing.
“People are separated by 10-15 mins. In fact, the flow of individuals is more regulated at a golf course then people self-regulating their movements in a grocery store,” it says in the petition. It goes on further to note that all payments can be processed electronically or over the phone, minimizing risk across the board.
Obviously, increased measures concerning pins, holes, carts, and any other shared surfaces would have to be put in place and strictly followed. That being said, if the courses can pull this off, it would sure be a blessing for every Albertan stuck with quarantine cabin fever.
The petition is aiming for 10,000 signatures and at the time of this article being written, it’s only about a thousand short. So, if you want to get out onto the links safely sooner rather than later, consider signing up.
In the meantime, keep putting in your living room and watching reruns of PGA tournaments. Here’s hoping we’ll be doing the real thing soon!
