The state Department of Health confirmed to my party that so-called ‘playgrounds’ could remain open “to facilitate personal health and well-being through outdoor exercise while complying with social distancing”.
State officials had received strong criticism from experts and parent organizations, saying that closing them was harmful to minors who have limited options to get out safely in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
In the Bay Area, the 5 counties that had adopted the regional curfew informed through their health departments that all children’s play areas, including those within schools, will reopen for use. of the public and of students attending face-to-face classes.
Restrictions on its opening promise to be a statewide challenge: adults and children over the age of 2 must wear mouthguards at all times, staying 6 feet away from minors belonging to another family unit. and limiting the use of games to 30 minutes, in addition to which food and babies are prohibited to prevent children from removing masks.
However, compliance with the rules will depend entirely on the parents and all indications are that the role of local health authorities will be strictly informative, to let families know about the risks involved in visiting them.
Is it safe to take my child to a playground?
Health experts say outdoor playgrounds are essential spaces with proven benefits for the physical and mental health of minors, many of whom have not even returned to their classrooms since last March.
Allowing children in the state to use them is comparable to curfew exemptions that allow adults to go out to exercise or correct in parks and outdoor public spaces.
For parents, the opening puts them between the sword and the wall. On the one hand, it represents a respite for their children and on the other a risk of spread due to shared spaces.
“I advise them to wear antibacterial gel, disinfectant wipes and if they take children to play and they are small, be careful with everything they put in their mouths, that they wear a mask. Also always clean the tables where they will be. We can do it with great caution, ”said Juliana Rocha, a Concordia resident, during an interview with Univison News 14 last October, when playgrounds reopened statewide for the first time.
“It simply came to our notice then. I would mostly like to make the decision to take them out here, but knowing how one is going to take care of them. Because if I see a risk, we will have to put up with it (to go) “, commented Gonzalo Barajas, also a resident of Concord.
The fear of parents like Gonzalo is understandable. Alameda County, for example, explained that “children’s play areas pose a (contagious) risk because they are usually unattended and in addition to the areas being shared, they encourage people to hold meetings.”
State health authorities recommend that municipalities and local governments in charge of playgrounds increase cleanliness and install handwashing or disinfection stations, however, these measures are not mandatory.
