JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mayor Lenny Curry’s order reopening outdoor spaces for exercise got lots of people thinking about going to the beach for the first time in a month, but it also reopens the city’s parks.
Unlike the beaches, which have limited hours, city parks will be open normal hours, but there are some rules for people to follow to copy with existing executive orders to keep people from spreading coronavirus:
- People using playground equipment must follow social distancing requirements.
- No organized group activities are permitted – this includes picnics or gatherings, team sports or any type of group activity.
- All park restroom facilities will remain closed.
- Pavilions and picnic areas will remain closed.
- No overnight camping will be allowed at Hanna or Huguenot parks.
Dee Daniels took her granddaughter Lonnie Miller Reginal Park on the Northside is now open for the first time in weeks.
“We decided to stop by the park so she could play a little bit,” she said.
Friday morning, Gov. Ron DeSantis used Jacksonville as an example of what he seeing happening in various cities and parks around Florida.
“Going forward we got to be promoting people to get exercise, do it in a good way to do it in a safe way,” DeSantis said. “That’s basically been a local decision. I thought there needed to be an outlet for people to do things safely."