Thread by @DougSaunders

The park behind our apartment is absolutely jammed with people, every surface covered. The police just came in, got on their megaphone, and loudly read everyone the riot act re social-distancing rules. Then thanked everyone for following them.

The whole park then applauded

I actually just wrote a column about the need to keep parks open and tolerating closeness there as a pandemic-management priority, and mentioned stories of police thanking crowds in other parks. As usual, the perfect anecdote appears before your eyes the day after you file

Although Berlin now approves of everyone flocking to the parks & police thank them, it remains verboten to cook there (big blow to Turkish-German families) or use playgrounds, or be too close if you don’t live together. Weed dealers now get busted for distance (and skin colour)

Here's my column on parks as the fulcrum points in the "constant, experimental push-pull between social norms and legal restrictions, trust and compulsion, freedom and constraint" -- and the pandemic-fighting importance of keeping them open.
theglobeandmail.com/opinion/articl…