What park-goers are saying as Modesto, Stanislaus County loosen orders
While Stanislaus County’s stay-at-home order remains in place and nonessential businesses are closed because of the new coronavirus pandemic, the county, Modesto and other neighboring cities reopened their parks Friday.
Modesto also reopened its playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts, and its Dryden and Creekside golf courses. City spokesman Thomas Reeves said all the tee times were booked at both 18-hole courses.
Letting residents take part in this outdoor recreation is among the activities permitted in the county public health officer’s latest order, which was issued Wednesday.
County Office of Emergency Services spokesman Royjindar Singh said one of the reasons officials are doing this is to offer recreation for people living in apartments, duplexes and similar housing and who don’t have yards or safe places for them and their children to be outdoors, though the parks are open for everyone.
But he stressed officials expect people to keep themselves safe by maintaining social distancing from others and by following other precautions.
“We are telling people to do that with their family,” he said. “It’s OK to go to the parks, but we still don’t want any intermingling between different families, different people. Play with the people you live with.”
The latest public health order says playground and sports equipment, such as basketballs, can only be used by members of the same household.
Use park equipment at your own risk
Park-goers are using park bathrooms and playgrounds at their own risk. The county will not disinfect its playgrounds and will clean and disinfect the bathrooms twice a week. Reeves, the city spokesman, said Modesto will maintain its park bathrooms twice a week but not the playground equipment.
Modesto’s East La Loma Park was bustling Friday afternoon, with parents pushing strollers, people walking dogs, and couples sitting on the grass, though the tennis and basketball courts and playground were empty.
One mom who was pushing a stroller with one of her sons in it while her second son followed on his bicycle with training wheels, said Friday’s reopening drew about three to four times as many people as she normally saw from her nearby home and when she used the park while it was officially closed since last month.
The mom said she kept using the park despite the closure because it was her only option for safe outdoor recreation. But she practiced social distancing and other measures. She said she had mixed feelings about the reopening.
She said people need to get out of their homes and enjoy themselves outdoors in a safe environment, but they also need to protect themselves and others from the coronavirus. She fears now that the parks are officially open some park-goers may not be as diligent as they need to be with their precautions.
“We’ve heard from our community conflicting stories,” said Reeves, the Modesto spokesman. “Half wanted the parks reopened and other half said, ‘No don’t do it.’” He said in the end Modesto followed the guidance from the county’s public health officer.
Homeless glad Modesto bathrooms open
Modesto’s Graceada Park also had a large crowd Friday afternoon, including homeless people. Two homeless women sitting on a blanket on the grass near the tennis courts said they were glad the city had reopened the park restrooms and that police officers will no longer tell them to leave the park.
“It’s very disgusting when you cannot use the bathroom,” one woman said.
Modesto and Stanislaus County have dropped their efforts to put in portables and hand-washing stations for homeless people. Both governments had planned to do so after closing park bathrooms last month.
Other Stanislaus County cities reopened their parks.
For instance, Oakdale opened all but one of its parks, Community Park on Yosemite Avenue. One of the most popular parks in the city, Community Park, has a skate park, basketball courts and an amphitheater, in addition to a playground.
“We want to have a measured approach to opening our parks and take into consideration opening that one up at a later date,” said City Manager Bryan Whitemyer. “There are huge numbers that gather there so we just want to play it safe to start.”
He said park restrooms will be cleaned weekly, but there is no guarantee that equipment will be sanitized. “It is use at your own risk,” he said.
Oakdale mom not worried about playground
Jennifer Jason and her daughters Khloe, 10, and Frankie, 4, were at Oakdale’s Dorada and River Avenue parks Friday after reading on Facebook that they were open. Khloe said she likes the tire swing at Dorada park the best but enjoys the spiral slide at River Avenue Park.
Jason said she wasn’t concerned about her children using the playground equipment, saying family members regularly washes their hands and would do so after playing at the park.
Ceres has reopened the grassy areas of its parks, park bathrooms and walking paths, but its playgrounds, fitness equipment, skate park, picnic areas, tennis and basketball courts, and athletic fields remain closed, according to a Facebook post from the city.
Turlock has taken a similar approach, according to what it posted Friday on Facebook. It has reopened walking and bike paths, the open space in its parks as well as its dog parks. But the city is keeping park bathrooms, playgrounds, and tennis, basketball and volleyball courts closed.
Riverbank posted Friday on Facebook that its parks, tennis and basketball courts, and skate park remain closed and it hoped to reopen them as soon as it was safe to do so.
The county’s Woodward and Modesto reservoirs and its Frank Raines and La Grange off-highway vehicle parks remain closed.
Bee staff writers Erin Tracy and Kristin Lam contributed to this story.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 7:35 PM.
