Future of public parks amid coronavirus pandemic
With the weather warming up and most activities put on hold, public parks are one of the few places for people to go…but it isn’t just by nature they’re open.
“We really do urge people to follow the guidelines, use the social distancing, make sure that you’re at least six feet away.” says Jaime Yohman, Community Engagement Director at Mill Creek Metroparks.
On Monday, Ohio governor Mike DeWine hinted at a possible shutdown of parks, due to many reports of people not practicing social distancing.
“It is such a great asset that we have in our community, and we would really hate to see it be closed because people are not following the rules and guidelines that are put into place by the governor.”, Yohman added.
Boardman police also have their hands full overseeing the parks, making it hard to respond to those in need.
“The less traffic out there, the less we have to potentially interact with them…the more that happens, the more our officers are in our neighborhoods.”, says Boardman Police Chief Todd Werth., the pain we’re going
The common theme among everyone is the more we do now, the more we’ll be able to do sooner.
“The more we can do right now, the pain we’re going to feel right now, and those kinds of things are going to end this quicker, and let us get back to a sense of normalcy.”, added Werth.
Full article at wfmj.com