Out of curiosity, are your local playgrounds (through the park district or similar) closed due to COVID? If they’re open but were previously closed, when did they open? Do you feel comfortable letting your kids go?
Ours have been closed since March and I’m starting to think they won’t reopen until 2022. I’ve been feeling pretty sad about it... we used to go literally every single day. We live in a city condo, so getting a play structure for home/yard is not an option.
Post by expectantsteelerfan on Jan 15, 2021 6:49:38 GMT -5
Our closed originally, but reopened at some point, I think it was over the summer. They never re-closed.
As for going, we have a LOT of local playgrounds where if we go, we are likely to be the only ones there. So we've gone to those, taken masks, and made it clear to my kids (who are older) that if anyone else is there, if they aren't wearing masks, we will leave, or if people show up, we put on our masks, and if they don't put on masks, we leave. We've only had to leave one time for people showing up without masks.
There are also several bigger and always busy playgrounds in the area, and when we drive by, those always have lots of people there and very few wearing masks, so we haven't even tried to go to those.
Ours closed at the beginning and then reopened, but I can't remember when that happened. They're open now too. We went a lot over the summer when numbers were low and people were good about masks etc. It's too cold to really go now but I would feel comfortable doing it if no one else was there.
Post by mccallister84 on Jan 15, 2021 7:18:48 GMT -5
Ours were closed through the end of May. We only go if we are the only ones there - so we’ve been hitting up the smaller tot lots, etc. my girls are 2 and 4 so that still works.
Our county opened back up in May or June, but I think some other counties/cities nearby haven't. When it was warmer we would go in the morning when no one was there. We've gone in the afternoon a few times recently. There's one giant parks and rec complex next to us that has soccer/baseball fields, dog park, and probably 5 sets of playground equipment scattered throughout. So usually we can find one set where there are no kids or only a couple kids.
And ditto expectantsteelerfan on our family mask policy and avoidance of crowded playgrounds.
I think on the other side of this thing I'm going to be averse to going to any crowded place period.
Ours closed for awhile but re-opened sometime over the summer when numbers were low. I did take DD a few times over the summer. Our parks department has nearly a dozen playgrounds but there is one in particular that is the most popular (it's big and is pretty cool) so we just avoided that one. It was fun to go to some of the other smaller ones we hadn't gone to before, like little adventures! We'd go at off times like early morning or right before dinner and often we were the only ones there which was awesome!
We don't have a huge yard but do have room for some sort of play structure. I'd love to get one this summer but DH isn't 100% on board with spending the money and doing the assembly, lol. I can't blame him but with an infant and a toddler, it would be so nice to just be able to have them play at home instead of lugging us all to the park!
Our reopened mid-summer, I believe. Parks stayed open throughout, but any areas where people would congregate (basketball courts, playgrounds) were closed from March to July or August. Going to parks and bringing balls, etc. and having a picnic helped everyone in the spring.
We have a playground in our neighborhood that is nearly always empty, so that has been our go-to. City playgrounds are generally too crowded for my taste, with little to no mask wearing, so we don't go unless it's empty.
They are open - they opened back up over the summer. We have one that I can watch the kids from the backyard that they go to the most. If there are a lot of kids there I ask them to wait. I think the rules are no more than 10 kids at a time and you are supposed to leave after 20 min if someone is waiting. There isn’t ever that many kids though.
Ours have been open since end of May. It is too cold now, anyway. We went to some over the summer but not much. Then soccer started, and the play area at the park would be just crawling with kids. I let it go for a few weeks but when numbers started going up, I didn’t let the kids play. I was freaked out by the parent socializing and kids playing at soccer just like it was 2019.
Other than soccer, our parks are not usually very crowded.
corgimom, get the playset!!!! So worth it. My kids have used ours a TON.
Our parks and playgrounds have been open since May. I am fairly comfortable without outside activities so yes we have gone. We have a ton of them around here so they are never very busy.
It's hard to say when ours opened up because they never roped them off or anything, we just avoided them because I knew we should not be there. I didn't take DS to any from probably March-May, but I am comfortable letting him go now. However, our playgrounds are never crowded. Every time we go, there are maybe 1-2 other kids there or none. I do think that even if they were more crowded I would be okay with it though as long as he wore his mask. The kid is moving and running around so much that he's not getting that close with anyone for any extended period of time.
It’s been pretty inconsistent throughout our city and county. The park closest to us (playground, tennis court, basketball court, dog park, walking path) sort of closed but people still used it. Then it reopened, and the county even made improvements to it over the summer (they had been planned for a while). It’s still open, and people are using it with no restrictions. Nobody wears masks (we have no state or local mandate). We’ve gone a few times and done some meet-up play dates at times when it wasn’t very busy and everyone could stay apart.
But there are other parks/playgrounds in the same county that are closed. And some of the city parks are open, some closed. It makes no sense to me.
I think ours briefly closed but once we started hearing more about the low chance of transition by fomites, we started going again occasionally. DD is 8 so putting things in her mouth isn't a big concern. We are in the 'burbs, though, and there are a ton of playground parks to choose from so it's easy enough to go to one that isn't used much.
There is a newer playground that is very cool for older kids nearby but it's very popular. We only go to that one occasionally early in the day and leave once there's more than a handful of people there. She just wears her mask.
Post by Velar Fricative on Jan 15, 2021 9:11:14 GMT -5
They were closed for the first few months of the pandemic but have since reopened. We went once, in August. There were others there, but we found a quieter playground than some others I know of and everyone was wearing masks, so I felt fine. I haven't had the chance yet, but I have no problem taking them out in winter because I know few people are as crazy as me lol.
We've also taken advantage of schoolyards which remained open too - no playground sets or anything, but we bring them with their bikes/scooters there and it's nice and distant.
Our HOA closed the playgrounds for several months and then reopened them sometime in the summer with the caveat that you were using them at your own risk, no one would be sanitizing them, etc.
A couple of times over the summer we went and got overwhelmed by other parents and kids showing up. It made me anxious enough that we stopped going for a bit. Now we’ve taught DD that we’ll go to the playground but if anyone is there then we’re leaving. We generally avoid the big playground where there’s higher traffic and stick to the smaller ones. We have better luck avoiding people there.
Our town playgrounds closed in the spring, and I'm not sure when they reopened, although they definitely did. We've gone a couple times, but often we avoid them because they're so crowded anytime it's nice out. I'm good with sparsely populated playgrounds, but not crowded ones.
The elementary school playgrounds are still closed to the public because they do some crazy sanitizing thing between groups/classes/cohorts at the school and they don't want to disrupt that. I love how hard they are working to make in person school as safe as possible, but this one feels like theater.
Our were closed for a bit but have reopened. Most have signs saying that you are playing at your own risk as the equipment isn't being sanitized by park staff at all. We would generally keep going until we found one that was empty or maybe just 1 other family. Hand sanitizer when we got back in the car and wash hands as soon as we walked in the door at home.
Post by maudefindlay on Jan 15, 2021 9:26:47 GMT -5
Our outdoor playgrounds reopened in July or August. Our indoor playgrounds remain closed and the city is using this time to do some planned remodeling. We have enough playgrounds that we can find one usually with no or only a few kids, but no one has masks on. We only went a couple times in September/Oct and quit due to other people.
Oh wow, how sad. Ours reopened in June I think and have remained open. I'm thankful, because like you we are city dwellers and are there most days. We really struggled when the playgrounds were closed. I generally choose the quieter ones, and everyone over age 2 is required to wear masks and use (city-provided) sanitizer upon entering.
Our playgrounds are open and they were closed in the earliest (and worst for us) part of the pandemic. We go though I have left if they are too crowded. The more we know about this the more it seems that outdoor masked activity is fairly low risk especially if you sanitize while you're there and wash your hands when you return home. It isn't zero risk of course but a playground is far safer than a playdate or inside activity.
Post by scribellesam on Jan 15, 2021 9:36:30 GMT -5
Ours were closed for quite a while, but reopened in September. They briefly reclosed them in December but there was such a public outcry that they were back open three days later. We go to them quite often just to get out of the house, but generally to less popular ones or else we go early in the morning before they are crowded.
I’m sorry yours are still closed. My kids were so happy to go back after the six month closure. With what we’ve learned about how Covid doesn’t tend to spread from surfaces, it seems to me that playgrounds can be reopened safely with some precautions in place.
Ours were closed for about 6 months starting in March, then briefly closed again in the winter but reopened after bipartisan pushback.
I'm sorry. Playgrounds have been one of our only outlets recently for motor development and play - we go to the quieter/older playgrounds (masked) and leave if anyone shows up without a mask or another family has a difficult time keeping distance.
Post by awkwardpenguin on Jan 15, 2021 10:16:31 GMT -5
Ours are still officially closed but many are being used. Both the park district and public school playgrounds are closed. We have gone masked several times. One time this fall one was too crowded and not everyone was masked so we left.
I feel slightly guilty for breaking the rules, but a sparsely used playground feels low risk and we’re also city dwellers without a lot of outdoor space.
Ours closed in March but reopened in the summer. One of the best things about our house location is that we have several playgrounds within walking distance, so the fact that we have a tiny yard doesn’t matter much. We absolutely struggled when the playgrounds were closed. I feel very safe on the playgrounds - everyone (adults and children) wear masks and they are never crowded. We go every weekend.
When they were closed, we took a lot of walks or rode bikes on trails.
Ours were closed from March - May as officials worked to understand how the virus transmitted. They have stayed open since May and we have felt comfortable going to them ever since. I don't imagine they will close again as data modeling shows the hot spots for transmission are gyms, bars and close gatherings of people. All of those things now have major restrictions/closures in place.
We live in a condo in a small city so I sympathize. Those two months with no school, no activities and no playgrounds really sucked. I'm sorry yours have been closed this whole time.
Ours have been open since June. We are very strict on masks where I live (just outside of Boston) so all kids and adults are masked at all times. I feel comfortable with the kids going to the playground. I’m pretty ok with most outside and masked activities.
Post by cricketwife on Jan 15, 2021 11:06:24 GMT -5
Ours were closed for the summer and opened sometime in August. Having them closed were THE WORST, so I really feel for you. That is a looooong time. I feel pretty comfortable at the playground and we go frequently. We shoot for times when we know there will be fewer people, we keep distance. Our playground has multiple play areas, so we just move to a different one if we are uncomfortable for any reason. I supported (and support) most of my governor's actions, but I don't think keeping the playgrounds closed made a lot of sense. Parks were open, but the playgrounds were closed. My kids started climbing on swinging benches and stuff back then.