Columbia city parks will reopen ‘at your own risk’ as coronavirus pandemic continues
For the first time since city parks closed two months ago, Columbia spelled out its plan to fully reopen parks to the public as coronavirus restrictions continue to fall away.
City parks will move into the next reopening phase as soon as Monday, members of Columbia City Council were told on Tuesday. That’s when city tennis facilities and athletic fields will reopen to the public, with some restrictions on how many people are able to use the facilities.
Assistant City Manager Henry Simons stressed that the city will take a cautious approach in implementing a five-phased reopening plan that could change its approach depending on developments in the continued spread of COVID-19 in South Carolina. He said members of the public using city equipment “do so at their own risk due to the pandemic.”
City council voted to keep parks closed only a week ago, but agreed to allow public use of green spaces, including the canalside walkway at Riverfront Park. In phase two of the reopening starting next week, Simons said tennis facilities will reopen, but only for singles and doubles play and not group instruction. Likewise, athletic fields for baseball, softball, football or soccer play will be limited to two to four people and won’t allow organized or team play just yet.
The Columbia Tennis Center on Whaley Street and Greenview Park courts will remain closed until phase four, Simons said, since the U.S. Tennis Association organizes league play at those courts.
Phase three will open more park amenities on June 8, including basketball courts, playgrounds, “spray pad” fountains and the bicycle pump track at Owens Field. Phase four will open indoor spaces and facilities to the pubic beginning June 22, as long as members of the public maintain social distancing standards.
Simons said park personnel will be trained in enforcing social distancing and issued personal protective equipment as the reopening unfolds.
The fifth phase won’t get here until Aug. 3, when tournament and league play will resume in city parks. But even then, the parks department is considering allowing play to resume without spectators. The city will also cancel organized summer camps and keep its pool facilities closed for now.
The parks department will also continue to enforce Gov. Henry McMaster’s executive orders, such as the ban on three or more people gathering together.
City council members argued for a faster reopening of some facilities, with skate and dog parks added to the facilities that will reopen to the public on Monday. Council members also called for doubles tennis to resume as well as singles play next week.
“Doubles is what a lot of us older people have to play,” said Councilman Howard Duvall. “We can’t cover the whole court ourselves.”
But Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine said the city will need to continue to emphasize its cautiousness, even as other parts of the state continue to reopen at a separate pace.
“We still haven’t seen the 14-day decline” in new COVID-19 cases recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Devine said. “We need to be thoughtful, because people are getting mixed messages. They’ll say, ‘my gym is open, so why not this?’”
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