Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this morning that city playgrounds will reopen on Monday as a "crucial part" of Phase 2.
"Phase two means a huge step forward for our economy," de Blasio said at a press conference this morning announcing Phase 2. "I know...so many parents with young children who have been cooped up, parents [who] have been saying, when do we get relief too?" Starting Monday June 22nd, he said, "we want to give this relief, we're gonna start with playgrounds for younger kids, and sometime soon we can go father in terms of our parks and all the athletic facilities they have."
For now, that means that playgrounds will reopen with social distancing ambassadors out across the city to monitor the playgrounds and remind people to remain six feet away from each other. They will also be handing out face coverings to people who don't have them, and reminding parents about "basic hygiene rules" like using hand sanitizers. No team sports—including basketball, football, soccer and softball—will be allowed for now, so don't hold your breath for all those basketball hoops to be reinstalled just yet.
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on April 1st that all playgrounds in NYC would be closed down after repeated instances of people violating the social distancing guidelines put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19. De Blasio had initially been reluctant to close down playgrounds, instead putting signage up outside playgrounds warning parents that playground equipment is “not sterilized” and to “play at your own risk.”
Earlier this week, a group of Brooklyn politicians representing orthodox Jewish neighborhoods defied the closures and staged a series of protests in which they broke the locks and attempted to open various playgrounds. State Senator Simcha Felder, Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein, and Councilman Kalman Yeger released a joint statement asking the mayor to open the playgrounds, saying, "The people have spoken and they are sick and tired of being ignored. With everything going on in the world, why is our Mayor intent on making criminals of mothers and children in need of a safe space to play?"
Adam Ganser, executive director for parks advocacy group New Yorkers for Parks, said the decision to reopen playgrounds was great, but the Parks Department would still need funds to be able to maintain them in the coming months.
"Many New Yorkers have been stuck at home for three months, especially in low-income neighborhoods where playgrounds provide the only source of open space," he said. "But the Parks Department needs to have sufficient funding to maintain and protect these spaces. Greater demand and need for access to open space should mean increased funding, not less. However, the Parks Department is facing significant budget cuts, including the loss of 340 safety and maintenance positions. It couldn’t come at a worse time. Now we’re asking the mayor and City Council to step up and secure this funding, or else we could see park and playground access once again restricted because the Parks Department won’t have funding to maintain them."
