Social Distancing Impossible At Reopened Essex County Parks – Livingston, NJ Patch

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A swell of residents visiting Essex County’s recently reopened parks and golf courses is making it “virtually impossible to practice social distancing,” County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. says.

Gov. Phil Murphy gave the go-ahead for counties and municipalities to decide for themselves whether to reopen local parks last week. Essex County partially reopened its parks and golf courses for “passive” use on Saturday morning, albeit with some restrictions, including mandatory face coverings.

Click here for a list of county-run parks.

But according to DiVincenzo – who recently recovered from a bout of COVID-19 himself – people need to do a better job of social distancing in the county’s parks.

“Over the last several days, I have visited almost all of our parks,” DiVincenzo said Tuesday. “What I witnessed were large numbers of people using our parks and making it virtually impossible to practice social distancing, even outdoors.”

“While the opportunity to enjoy nature and get a breath of fresh air is welcomed, we cannot let our guard down and must continue to remain vigilant in our fight against the coronavirus,” DiVincenzo said. “Social distancing is still recognized as the best way to prevent the spread of this disease and wearing a face covering significantly reduces the possibility of the virus from being passed from person to person.”

Officials issued the following reminder about current restrictions at the county’s parks and golf courses:

“Essex County parks are open for passive recreation only. This includes running, walking and sitting. Visitors must wear face coverings and follow social distancing guidelines, which require 6 feet between each person. Playgrounds; tennis, basketball and bocce courts; dog parks; baseball, softball, soccer and football fields; exercise and par courses; Turtle Back Zoo, paddle boating at the South Mountain Recreation Complex and the Environmental Center remain closed. Large groups of people are not allowed. In addition, all park buildings and restroom buildings will be closed. Since Turtle Back Zoo is closed, the zoo parking decks also will be closed. Essex County’s three public golf courses – Hendricks Field in Belleville, Francis Byrne in West Orange and Weequahic Golf Course in Newark – also opened on May 2 and offer modified play.”

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