ST. PAUL - The Town of St. Paul has closed down all town-operated playgrounds to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
"We have decided to close the playgrounds because of the inability to stop kids from touching surfaces," said Town of St. Paul CAO Kim Heyman. "The playground equipment can carry the virus"
While people may be resolute in saying they can have their children wash their hands as soon as they get home from playing, there is a risk that children may rub their eyes, touch their face, or put their hands in their mouth, and "washing their hands when they get home may be too late," said Heyman.
She estimated that about half the municipalities in Alberta have taken the same steps to help mitigate the spread of the virus.
"After laying off most of our recreation staff, we can't keep the equipment sanitized and we can't police other people's children, so closing the playgrounds seemed like that only logical solution," said Heyman.
The closure pertains to about 20 playsets across town. The town has 16 parks, but some have multiple playsets within one park.
Playground traffic zones remain in effect around parks since the parks are not closed, confirmed Heyman. The parks are still available to residents to visit and have space to move around.
SPERD
St. Paul Education Regional Division (SPERD) also announced on March 27 that its playgrounds would be closed, effective March 30.
"Evidence provided by health officials indicates that the COVID-19 virus can remain on wood, metal and hard plastic surfaces for extended periods," reads a statement from SPERD. "Closing playgrounds also helps to promote appropriate social and physical distancing."
The school division will not monitor its playgrounds, but administration asks the public to cooperate in the matter.
