Playgrounds Closed Amid Coronavirus, But Park Trails Open

This article was updated at 2:05 p.m., Monday March 23, to include comments from Plainfield Park District staff

PLAINFIELD, IL — There's bad news and good news out of the Plainfield Park District this week.

The bad news is that public playgrounds and athletic facilities around the village remain closed. In order to help slow the spread of coronavirus, which can survive hours or even days on inorganic surfaces, these areas will be closed off to the public until further notice. Additionally, a press release sent out by the Park District last week makes it clear that not only are these areas currently closed to the public, anyone seen using them by district personnel will be asked to stop immediately.

"They're trying to prevent anyone from congregating," Park District staff said.

The good news is that the park trails and open green spaces are still open for the public to use. Getting outside and exercising are both important elements of maintaining mental health during the pandemic we're all currently living through, and using open park district spaces are a good way to do both. Enjoying walks is also one of the acceptable reasons that Governor Pritzker's 'stay at home' order gave for leaving the home.

That said, people using the trails and park spaces are still asked to practice social distancing and maintain at least six feet between all individuals. Per these rules, parents are also asked by the park district to refrain from holding birthday parties or play dates for their children in the parks.

The park district is currently following the mandates laid down in Pritzker's 'stay at home' order, which expires April 7. The ban on using playgrounds or athletic facilities will last until then, district staff said, at which point the district will re-assess the situation.

"There's not really any playbook for this," district staff said. "We're going to continuously be monitoring the situation."

This article will be updated as more information becomes available on how the coronavirus crisis is affecting the parks.

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