Delhi residents, docs say parks should reopen

From Monday, the Delhi government has allowed malls, markets and restaurants to reopen, prompting questions as to why big parks were not being allowed.

Residents and experts have questioned the continued closure of public parks even as Delhi has moved a step closer to reopen completely after a lockdown was imposed on April 19 with the Capital slipping into its worst phase of Covid-19 pandemic.

A senior DDMA official said they will review the situation next week.

From Monday, the Delhi government has allowed malls, markets and restaurants to reopen, prompting questions as to why big parks were not being allowed with even experts suggesting that they were far safer than closed, indoor spaces with regard to the transmission of infection.

Vedant Gidra, 15, a resident of Delhi’s Shalimar Bagh, has not visited a park since the pandemic struck last year. The Class 11 student said he used to spend hours playing outdoors in the park with friends before the pandemic. He said that the government could lift restrictions on the park since they were important for recreation. “Earlier, I used to spend a lot of time playing outdoors. The government should consider reopening the parks just like other places are open now. If not for the whole day, parks should be open to visitors during the morning and evening hours for walks and recreation,” said Gidra.

Last month, the Union government’s principal scientific adviser K Vijay Raghavan’s office had issued a new set of guidelines to combat the pandemic. According to the document, titled “Stop the Transmission, Crush the Pandemic”, infection transmission risk is lower in outdoor areas, as virus particles get dispersed quickly.

Dr Jugal Kishore, head of the department of community medicine at Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital, said public parks should have been reopened much earlier. “Parks should have been reopened when the government first started easing restrictions. Rather, they shouldn’t have been closed in the first place. People visit parks for walks and exercise which is essential to remain fit,” said Kishore. He said the reopening of parks was also crucial for children who had been stuck at home for a very long time. “Children are fed up now. It is affecting their physical and mental development,” said Kishore.

Dr Rahul Nagpal, director, Pediatric and Neonatology at Fortis Hospital Vasant Kunj, said if everything else was reopening, there was no reason as to why parks couldn’t be reopened. “We all know that the concentration of the virus cannot be so much outside as compared to what it is inside. In my personal opinion, I don’t see any reason for keeping the parks locked,” said Nagpal. He said parks could be reopened provided that people stuck to proper distancing and wear masks along with other Covid-appropriate habits.

Resident welfare associations, however, demanded that parks should be opened at least in the morning and evening hours.

Major (retd) Ranjit Singh, president of Defence Colony RWA, said keeping the parks closed does not make sense since people are already visiting malls and markets. “The timing can be fixed. People could be allowed to visit the parks during the morning and evening hours. Due to the heat, they are unlikely to visit during the day anyway,” said Singh.

Sanjay Rana, president, Greater Kailash-II RWA, said parks offer a better scope for distancing than markets. “If the markets and malls are open, parks can be opened too. Some people have a habit of visiting parks daily. They find it difficult to cope up, if they can’t continue their routine. Parks at least have space for distancing,” said Rana.

Reena Ramachandran, 80, a Saket resident, said she has stopped going for a morning walk since the lockdown was imposed. She said that while her daily routine had changed, she was taking precautions. “There might be some merit if the government has decided to keep parks closed till now. While I used to go for morning walk prior to the lockdown, I am avoiding public places,” said Ramachandran.

Om Parkash, assistant information officer, New Delhi Municipal Council, said parks across the city were closed in line with DDMA orders. “Parks are closed as per the government directive. However, there are some parks that do not have gates where people could still be seen. Our employees also visit the parks for maintenance but they remain closed to the public,” said Parkash.

A senior DDMA official said they will review the situation next week. “We have assessed the situation. We felt at this point it would be unsafe to open public parks. They may witness huge gatherings. We will assess the situation again next week,” the official said.