Can I travel more than 10 miles from my home for recreational activities?
Yes.
Can friends or neighbors come to my house for a cold drink or a barbecue if we maintain social distancing?
No. For your safety as well as their safety, we need to help each other fight the spread of COVID-19 by staying at home.
Gatherings, even socially-distanced gatherings, increase the risk of transmission and add to traffic on the roads. More traffic means more stops at gas stations, potential for car accidents and crowding of roads that may impede emergency vehicles.
Can I go to the beach?
Yes – but with a list of conditions.
To reduce gathering and crowding near the coast, the latest health order imposes specific limits on access to the areas west of Highway 1. Between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., all public access to parks, trails, and beaches west of Highway 1 must be initiated from one’s residence and may not involve the use of a motor vehicle to travel (unless necessary to accommodate a physical impairment where the individual’s residence is within reasonable walking distance of the beach). Beach parking may be closed to the public and parking may be limited on nearby streets to limit crowds.
Beaches are to be used only for running, walking, cycling, water sports, or other form of physical activity. The following items are prohibited for use or possession on a beach: umbrellas; shade structures; tents; BBQs and grills; coolers; chairs, hammocks, and other conveyances designed to sit or lounge.
Visit the California State Parks website for updated information on which state beaches are open and closed and what restrictions are in place.
For other beaches, be sure to check with the city or agency that operates/oversees the beach for closures, parking, hours and other key information.
Can I go to a park?
Yes, by yourself or with members of your household. Under the latest Shelter In Place order, permitted activities include walking, hiking, running or bicycling in compliance with social distancing requirements and other limitations in the order.
In San Mateo County, 13 of 23 County Parks are open to some degree. Visitors are required to hike single file on narrow trails, keep six feet apart from others, not congregate with people who aren’t from their household, and carry face coverings. Visit the County Parks website for detailed information.
Together Bay Area, a regional coalition of 57 public agencies, nonprofits and Indigenous Tribes, maintains a listing of park agency websites.
Remember in San Mateo County: Use of certain outdoor recreational areas and facilities (that are high-touch or encourage gathering), such as playgrounds, gym equipment, climbing walls, picnic areas, dog parks, pools, spas, and barbecue areas are prohibited outside of residences.
Can I meet friends at a park or beach?
No. For your safety as well as their safety, we need to help each other fight the spread of COVID-19.
Can I take my kids' friends with us to our houseboat on a lake in the Sierras?Can our friends stay with us at our cabin in Lake Tahoe?
Can I take my kids to spend the weekend at their cousin’s house in Sacramento (or wherever)?
Is there any loophole I can exploit that would allow our family to get together with friends or family members who do not live with us?
No. For your safety as well as their safety, we need to help each other fight the spread of COVID-19 by staying at home.
Can I take my ski boat/fishing boat/houseboat/life raft/rubber ducky to the delta/bay/ocean?
Yes – by yourself or with members of your household only. A boat does not allow for social distancing so it would be a floating mass gathering.
Remember, many boat launches and visitor services are closed across California. Visitors are advised to visit the webpage of their local outdoor destination before leaving home to find out if it is open, what new visitor guidelines are in effect and if parking is available.
California State Parks
San Mateo County Harbor District
Together Bay Area
Can I go to a pool?
Indoor and outdoor pools, outdoor recreation areas, and outdoor shared recreation facilities may be opened, but only if they are actively monitored and managed to ensure that the facility is either:
- Only used by members of the same household, or
- Used in a manner that ensures that all social distancing, face covering (except when in pool) and all other requirements (including the prohibitions against gathering and shared equipment), including Health Officer orders, are enforced. Any measures put in place must be reflected in the required posted written protocols.
Can I leave home to care for my elderly parents or friends who require assistance to care for themselves? Or a friend or family member who has disabilities?
Yes. Be sure that you protect them and you by following social distancing guidelines such as wearing a face covering, ensuring that everyone else is wearing a face covering, washing hands before and after, using hand sanitizer, maintaining at least 6 feet of distance when possible, and coughing or sneezing into a tissue.
Can I go for a drive to get out of the house?
No. For your safety as well as their safety, we need to help each other fight the spread of COVID-19 by staying at home.
More traffic means more stops at gas stations, potential for car accidents and crowding of roads that may impede emergency vehicles.
Can I take my RV out for a spin if I promise not to go to a gas station, stop for food or do anything other than drive? No. For your safety as well as their safety, we need to help each other fight the spread of COVID-19 by staying at home.
More traffic means more stops at gas stations, potential for car accidents and crowding of roads that may impede emergency vehicles.
Read more frequently asked questions at https://www.smcgov.org/.