All Cobb outdoor parks to reopen Monday; playgrounds closed

*East Cobb Park has been locked up since late March. (ECN file)*

This just in from Cobb County government:

Cobb PARKS will reopen their outdoor facilities on Monday, May 11th. Trails and passive parks have already been open to the public, so this will reopen the remainder of our outdoor parks. Due to continuing health concerns surrounding the coronavirus, the following restrictions will remain in place:

Playgrounds and restrooms at park facilities will remain closed.
No organized athletic activities will be allowed.
Park Rangers and PARKS personnel will monitor the parks to ensure park patrons maintain proper social distancing. Flagrant violations could result in the closure of part or all of that facility.
Indoor facilities, such as aquatic centers and arts centers, will remain closed.

The county initially kept parks open shortly after Commission Chairman Mike Boyce declared a state of emergency. But he ordered parks closed on March 23 after being advised to do so by public health officials in the “interest of public health and to encourage social distancing.”

The entrances to East Cobb Park and other outdoor parks, including Mabry Park in East Cobb, have been locked up ever since.

On April 23, the county reopened some trails, like the Noonday Creek Trail and the Silver Comet Trail, and a few passive parks, including Ebenezer Downs and Hyde Farm in East Cobb.

Cobb PARKS issued further details of the reopenings on Friday:

1. No organized activities will be allowed. This includes team practices, games, get-togethers, etc.
2. All field lights will remain off and park concession stands closed.
3. On diamond fields, dugouts will be locked.
4. All restrooms will remain locked.
5. Playgrounds will remain closed. Part-time PARKS staff will be stationed at these playgrounds from dawn until dusk to ensure that no one violates the closures.
6. Our staff in the parks will also be monitoring other areas of the parks and will be notifying public safety should organized activities be observed.

The decision to reopen the parks comes as some businesses and other public activities are gradually being allowed to reopen in Georgia.

As of noon Wednesday, there were 30,706 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Georgia, with 1,311 deaths, 5,770 hospitalizations and 1,348 intensive-care admissions.

In Cobb County, there are 1,996 confirmed cases of the virus and 102 deaths, with 506 hospitalizations.

When the parks reopen on Monday, beautiful spring weather will be in store, with sunny skies and high temperatures into the 70s and 80s for most of the week.