COVID-19: Orange County, Orlando playgrounds to reopen after six months

Playgrounds will be sanitized daily, Orange County mayor says

Englewood Park playground on Lake Underhill Road, Orlando. (Image: city of Orlando) (WKMG 2020)

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – More than 100 playgrounds throughout Orange County will reopen this weekend after closing nearly six months ago due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Jerry Demings announced.

Extra cleaning and safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will be in place when 108 playgrounds reopen on Saturday.

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The city of Orlando will also open 47 playgrounds and 15 outdoor fitness stations beginning Friday. Those playgrounds will be limited to 50 people at a time.

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For months, the fitness stations around Orlando parks have been roped off or covered in plastic to prevent people from using them.

No more than 10 children can be on the playground at any given time in Orange County and masks will be required at all recreation facilities throughout the county. Signs will be posted in English and Spanish around the parks with the rules.

Demings said the decision to reopen the playgrounds, which have been closed since March, was made after the county has reported fewer COVID-19 cases in the last several weeks.

“There’s this desire to get moving and get outdoors, and I believe over time, our community has demonstrated a willingness to follow the CDC guidelines,” Demings said.

The mayor said he is also relying on parents and guardians at the parks and playgrounds with their children to do the right thing and follow all of social distancing and other health guidelines.

More information can be found at OCFL.net/parks.

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