L/CPL Thomas P. Noonan Jr. Playground in Sunnyside (Parks Dept. file photo)
April 1, 2020 By Allie Griffin
Governor Andrew Cuomo will shut down all New York City playgrounds to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, he announced today.
The order comes after Mayor Bill de Blasio resisted a mass closure and opted to shut down specific playgrounds where social distancing was not being observed.
However, at a press briefing in Albany today, Cuomo said people weren’t adhering to the social distancing rules and “more dramatic actions” were needed. He is closing all playgrounds, swing sets, basketball courts and similar spaces.
“We agreed initially with the mayor that we would try compliance and the mayor was going to try to use the NYPD to enforce compliance, social distancing, in playgrounds,” Cuomo said. “It is still a problem.”
Shutting down all playgrounds throughout the city is a necessary step to slow the spread and flatten the curve of coronavirus cases, Cuomo said.
“I’ve talked about this for weeks, I warned people that if they didn’t stop the density and the games in the playground — you can’t play basketball, you can’t come in contact with each other — that we would close the playgrounds.”
De Blasio had already shuttered 10 city playgrounds — including Mauro Playground at Flushing Meadows Corona Park — where compliance was low. The city also removed basketball hoops from 80 court throughout the five boroughs last week.
Open spaces inside city parks will remain open, Cuomo said.
He didn’t specify a date of when the playgrounds will be shuttered.
State-run playgrounds were closed to the public on March 21.
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7 Comments
Says the guy whos too cheap to pay private sanitation for his business, so he throws his businesses garbage around the neighborhood. By the old zahners, by the side of the bqe, by restaurant depot parking lot, by home depot parking lot, by leverich street.
Hes been doing that for years. I saw him taking bricks from a construction site one time.
Playgrounds are for children, not for thugs smoking or for drunks sleeping or perverts hanging around.
Good it’s about time.
unfortunately people don’t know how to behave in playgrounds, some people litter others are smoking , others walk their dogs and don’t clean up after their pets .
Very well done . –
The people that use the parks litter & vandalized it.
What . You must be fun to hang out. Why not just close them permanently.