Alexandria Living Magazine
The City of Alexandria's Dept. of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities (RPCA) released a timeline for reopening the city's public parks, playgrounds, pools, recreation centers and more.
This Friday, Alexandria, along with the rest of Northern Virginia, will enter the first phase of Gov. Ralph Northam's three-phase coronavirus reopening plan called "Forward Virginia." The first phase includes allowing limited outdoor dining at restaurants, non-essential retail openings with capacity limits, outdoor fitness classes and more.
Friday is also the day that Virginians will have to start wearing masks or face coverings in all indoor, public places, including stores, government buildings, restaurants (when not actually eating) and more. The CDC has reported that wearing a mask or face covering can help decrease the transmission of COVID-19.
Much of the rest of Virginia entered phase one of "Forward Virginia" back on May 15, but Northern Virginia's entry into phase one was delayed for health and safety reasons. Gov. Northam has not given a date for when the state will enter phase two.
Parks, Dog Parks and Pools
In the first phase of reopening, local parks will be open, but picnic tables, playgrounds, sport courts, dog parks and facilities will remain closed — they will reopen in the second phase.
Gov. Northam has not given a timeline for when the second phase might start, or if Northern Virginia will be delayed from entering phase two like it was with phase one.
Summer camps might be able to start operating in the second phase if they can ensure the health and safety of campers and staff, which may be difficult.
Some private pools can reopen in phase one for limited lap swimming only, but the City's public pools may not open until July. When they do open, there may be capacity limits.
Playgrounds
Playgrounds are set to open in the third phase — but after seeing many online comments from parents of stir-crazy kids, Mayor Justin Wilson asked whether city officials could look into opening those sooner.
At Tuesday night's City Council meeting, RCPA Director Jim Spengler said there are concerns about crowding at playgrounds and the difficulty of disinfecting equipment.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says that while the primary way this coronavirus is transmitted is through the air, there is a possibility of catching the virus by touching a surface and then accidentally touching your mouth or nose without washing your hands first.
The Alexandria Health Dept.'s Dr. Stephen Haering commented that playgrounds and physical activity are important to the mental health of children, particularly during this stressful time, but he agreed safety is a concern.
"So, there’s that balancing act of what your risk is of catching the virus. There’s no guarantee that equipment has been disinfected, and depending on the age of the kids and the activities going on — are they really going to keep a six foot distance? Quite frankly, I don’t have the answer to that,” he said.
The complete chart of what's open when is below. For updates, go to www.alexandriava.gov/Recreation or www.alexandriava.gov/coronavirus.
