Following the outrage of parents and some lawmakers, California has reversed the direction of playground closures to prevent coronavir virus outbreaks.
According to an updated state guide released Wednesday morning, “playgrounds can remain open to facilitate physically segregated personal health and wellness through outdoor exercise” – a face that is in line with previously announced rules to close those regions , where critical care services were strained by COVID-19.
California Department of Public Health officials did not immediately comment on the background to the change.
Although several aspects of California’s latest regional home order have come under fire since Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled it last week, the closure of playgrounds has sparked a strange echo – parents have expressed outrage and confusion at why they are not reaching their children’s playgrounds. -restrictions, while places like the malls will remain open.
In a letter to Newsom last week, some California lawmakers also noted that low-income areas are most affected by the rule because many residents do not have yards and other free areas to take their children.
“While we need to take due account of best practices to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, we must also ensure that children across the state are not unfairly deprived of opportunities to access and play outdoors.” said the letter, signed by a dozen lawmakers. “The widespread closure of playgrounds is unfairly negatively affecting children and families.”
One of the signatories to the letter, Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), is a strong “Yay!” -Nel greeted the reversal of the state on Wednesday.
“Thanks to all the legislators who joined me and asked the state to review the closure of playgrounds,” he wrote on Twitter.
We have to wait to see how the bend of the state is reduced to the local level. Counties generally allow for the adoption of stricter, but not less lenient, regulations than those of the state.
Los Angeles County, for example, implemented closed outdoor public playgrounds prior to the state’s ordinance as part of the state’s ordinance, as part of its own restrictions to slow down an unprecedented seizure in coronavirus cases.
Although the county has not publicly linked the epidemics to playgrounds, officials have previously said they believe closures are needed.
Before the regulations were issued, health officials “went back and forth” for many days on how to deal with local park department reports of crowding, children playing without masks, and difficulty disinfecting playground equipment, said Barbara Ferrer, LA county director of public health.
“I know the playgrounds really weren’t really well understood by many, and [their closure] again, it is causing a lot of difficulty for families, ”he said last week.
