Playgrounds in Monroe County and the City of Rochester will reopen Friday after Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he would allow local officials to decide if they’re ready to take that step.
Parks had been closed for weeks to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
County Executive Adam Bello said family groups visiting reopened playgrounds should still stay at least six feet away from each other, and children should use hand sanitizer or wash their hands after playing.
A spokesperson for the City of Rochester said decisions about reopening city pools and spray parks will come next week. Those facilities were closed even as temperatures in excess of 90 degrees swept through the region on Wednesday.
Cuomo said local officials “must use health data & metrics” to guide their decisions about whether to reopen the parks in their area.
A spokesperson for the county public health department said Monroe County officials determined it was likely safe to reopen playgrounds because even with increased testing in recent weeks, the number of coronavirus cases detected has held steady. Pools are not high-risk environments, the spokesperson said, because evidence shows the virus does not spread through chlorinated water.
