As America Reopens, So Should Its Bathrooms

After more than 3 months of being sheltered-in-place in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, the country is slowly beginning to reopen (despite a rise in cases, but that’s a discussion for another day). One aspect of life that I have noticed is failing to reopen in some areas though are public restrooms. While I acknowledge that many public parks and retail establishments are hesitant to reopen their bathrooms for the safety of the janitors and patrons, I would argue that the alternative can prove to be much worse.

Source: https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/14984641/2020/09/public-restrooms.jpg

Ever since governments forced the closure of schools, non-essential offices, and various places on entertainment in mid-March, one of the few refuges people had was the great outdoors. The coronavirus supposedly proves to be a smaller health risk when outside, which has led individuals to take advantage of local parks as places to congregate with friends and family while maintaining social distancing. And as the country slowly reopens, even more folks are seeking the fresh air their local parks offer them to assemble with their social pods. But despite an uptick in visitors to local, county, and regional parks, I see an all too familiar sign whenever I need to go – “Restrooms Closed”. How can the government be encouraging folks to enjoy nature, yet not give them somewhere to pee, especially as new data has been released revealing that the virus doesn’t stick to surfaces to the same degree as once thought? Now you might be thinking, just go in a bush and be one with nature. Easier said than done, especially for folks like myself that would rather not have others watch us relieve ourselves. Many local parks don’t really have many hidden areas for people to do their business. I was at a park in Atherton just last week to meet with friends and I was forced to quickly go behind some bushes near a parking lot – in full view of a bike trail, which luckily no one was using. All I could say was Thank God I’m a dude.

This issue also permeates to establishments that have reopened, many of which are keeping their restrooms closed. I found myself at a Taco Bell in Downtown San Jose on a recent Monday night which reopened their patio for dine-in service. Despite paying over $10 for numerous tacos, I was refused to be let into the restroom. I also visited a CVS in Santa Clara that locked their restrooms and reserved them for employees, leaving shoppers to fend for themselves.

In due course, I suppose you could say the lack of open public restrooms helps discourage people from going out. But I think it’s also important to note that (most) people have been doing their part and staying home for the past several months, and even allowing a small bit of normalcy back into their lives at this point could be a huge emotional and physical health boost. Keeping restrooms closed will ultimately lead to folks leaving their bodily fluids and feces on the sides of buildings and in the middle of parks, making them less enjoyable and defeating their initial purpose. I agree that taking a slow and steady approach to reopen should continue to be executed, but when businesses, parks, and other institutions reopen, do all of us a favor and open your bathrooms too.