SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Playgrounds at city of San Diego parks are getting ready to reopen.
In a Facebook post Monday night, Mayor Kevin Faulconer said he has directed staff to prepare playgrounds for a safe reopening, based on new guidance from the state. Faulconer said, "stay tuned for official reopening dates at a park near you."
The following guidelines were issued by the California Department of Public Health (DPH), for outdoor playgrounds and other outdoor recreational facilities.
Visitors to outdoor community playgrounds must comply with the following requirements:
- Face masks over the mouth and nose are required for everyone 2 years of age or older with caregiver supervision at all times to ensure face mask use
- Do not use the playground when different households are unable to maintain a physical distance of 6 feet or when the capacity limit of [number of children and number of adults] has been reached
- Caregivers must monitor to keep adults and children from different households at least 6 feet apart
- Consider coming on different times or days to avoid wait times and potential crowded times
- No eating or drinking in playground, to ensure face masks are worn at all times
- Wash or sanitize hands before and after using the playground.
- Elderly and persons with underlying medical conditions should avoid playground when others are present
- Limit visit to 30 min per day when others are present
The state advised all facility operators to post fliers at all outdoor playgrounds with a list of the rules that must be followed.
On Tuesday, Poway Mayor Steve Vaus said playgrounds there are now open.
In a tweet he wrote, "there I fixed it, playground open! #LetEmPlay".
Vaus said in another tweet on Monday that he asked City Council to join him in petitioning for a reopening pilot program for Poway's playgrounds, which include sanitizing and other safety protocols.
As of Tuesday morning, on the city's Parks and Recreation website, playgrounds remain closed until further notice.
