Originally Posted by
Maximus67
As someone who works for a company that works directly with hospitals and medical specialists, I can tell you that they all confirm that activities like golfing, hiking, cycling, jogging, etc are all safe to continue doing. Our company has several staff*who have a Masters/PhD's in microbiology and pathology and they are keenly aware of the COVID-19 virus. They also have peers in the Ottawa labs and hospitals and have been getting firsthand accounts of what is being seen.
As an avid golfer, I asked them earlier last week about the risk level of going golfing later in April and what their opinion is. First of all, unanimously they all believe things in Ottawa (and North America at large) will get worse over the next month or so before things start to get better. By mid April when courses can and should be open, they believe that banning golf would not do anything substantial to stem this spread of this. Likewise, allowing people to go golf will not increase the risk at all especially if some minor adjustments are made such as closing the clubhouse bar, limiting the distance between customers and pro shop employees, limiting*cart use, etc.*
Aside from that, golf can and should continue on as normal and not be treated as a high risk activity the same way gyms and pick-up hockey are treated.*
I just hope our local and provincial governments look at golf with that same lens*and practical sense which may be a tall ask. From what I've been reading, courses have been closing across Europe and the US where they are being hit badly.*