San Francisco, Oct 15 San Francisco Mayor London Breed has announced to reopen the city's outdoor playgrounds amid precautions due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
The US city's more than 180 public playgrounds will have signs reminding families of capacity limits and other guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19, Xinhua news agency reported.
"We know kids and parents have been missing playgrounds since the end of March, and I'm excited that we're now at a place where we can safely reopen them," Breed said in her announcement on Wednesday.
"It's important kids have a place to explore, have fun, and get some outdoor exercise."
In a separate statement, Phil Ginsburg, General Manager of San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, said: "For kids, play is serious business. It is essential to their cognitive, physical, social and emotional development.
"A trip to the playground relieves stress, reduces anxiety, and promotes healthy bodies and imaginations."
According to the guidelines, playgrounds are reopening with limits on the number of children and adults based on the size of the playground.
To comply with state regulations, playground visits must be limited to 30 minutes when others are present.
Visitors of all ages must stay 6 feet away from non-household members and everyone over the age of two years must wear masks.
Eating and drinking are not allowed, and visitors should clean their hands before and after playing.
Recreation and Park Department monitors will be stationed at the city's busiest playgrounds for the first two weekends of operation to educate families about the new rules and ensure health guidelines are followed.
Of California's more than 867,000 coronavirus cases, the San Francisco County accounts for 11,715.
( With inputs from IANS )
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