Jersey City is preparing to reopen five of its parks on Monday that were closed for more than a month at the direction of Gov. Phil Murphy, but there will be restrictions in place.
Restrictions will include requiring parkgoers to wear masks and to social distance.
The mayor says the parks will only be open for passive use. Dog runs, playgrounds and basketball courts will not be open.
There will be police officers and recreation personnel in each park making sure people have face coverings and gloves, which are recommended, and are staying 6 feet apart.
"We think this is about safety and health, and mental health and physical health" says Mayor Steven Fulop. "And densely populated areas like Jersey City it is a different animal than East Windsor. And so here, people don't have a lot of space to move and it's not realistic to think people are going to stay inside their homes indefinitely."
No organized activities of any kind are allowed in the parks and indoor facilities like bathrooms still remain closed.
Before Monday, crews will perform a deep cleaning. The city plans to reopen more parks in mid-May.
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