It’s a sunny Saturday, but playgrounds in the metro area are expected to be eerily quiet as another set of precautions are introduced to limit the potential spread of COVID-19.
St. John’s, Mount Pearl, Conception Bay South and Paradise all sent out advisories Saturday afternoon closing all playgrounds and tot lots immediately.
“This is a precautionary measure to slow the transmission of the COVID-19 virus as the virus has been found to live on plastic and steel surfaces for up to three days; most of the city’s playground structures are made of or have plastic and metal surfaces,” reads a City of St. John’s news release.
In St. John’s, city parks, trails and dog parks will remain open, but users are asked to stay at least two meters away from one another.
“Play structures are high touch surfaces and cannot be cleaned after each use, and while this was a difficult decision, their closure will help protect our community,” reads a City of Mount Pearl news release.
In Mount Pearl, all walking trails, St. David’s Park and the Mount Pearl Dog Park will remain open with users asked to practice social distancing.
“We cannot enforce these closures, but we are relying on our residents to be responsible and understanding in these unique circumstances,” says the release.
In Paradise, town trails and open park spaces remain open, with users asked to maintain at least two arm lengths’ distance from one another.
In Conception Bay South, green spaces and the Sgt. Ned Nugent’s Dog Park remain open with users reminded to practice social distancing.
