St. Paul looking at closing playgrounds to promote physical distancing

St. Paul are looking at further efforts to promote physical distancing and limit the spread of germs amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mayor Maureen Miller said on Wednesday the Town is looking at closing playground equipment at parks after receiving calls that these play areas are being well-used by children.

“We need to make those decisions for those that either are having a hard time making them for their children or making them for themselves,” she said on The Morning After on Wednesday.

“We need to be the example and our community who is depending on that. But yes, I see a lot of respectful social distancing, I’m out for a walk and people wave and it’s so quiet, very eerie, is it not?

“But we get those gatherings and it’s an innocent gathering, you’re taking your two kids out and next thing the neighbors are there and how do you try to respect that? So I think our next step, as I said, might be the playground equipment.”

This measure could be in place shortly.

“We don’t take them lightly. It’s hard on all of us. But if at the end of the day we have saved our communities, we’ve done our job right,” said Miller.

“And that’s our intention at the end of the day is to save families and people and our healthcare system that could be easily quickly impacted.

“We’ve heard it from so many avenues, just keep your distance,” she said.

The Town has already closed recreational facilities and essentially closed the Town Office while cancelling regular council meetings until they can find a digital solution to connect everyone.

Roughly a dozen layoffs have resulted from this.