Safety first for Council’s parks and reserves

Liverpool City Council has nearly completed a massive task in taping off and erecting signs at more than 200 parks and playgrounds to enforce social distancing regulations for coronavirus.

Liverpool Mayor Wendy Waller praised residents for following advice to stay home and keep two arm’s lengths away from people when outside but warned against complacency.

“We have all done a great job so far in the war against coronavirus but there is no doubt we are in this for the long haul,” Mayor Waller said.

“It’s particularly important that people avoid gathering in groups, whether on sports fields or in shopping precincts. We know group activities are the biggest risk for mass transmission of coronavirus and can’t afford to let our guard down yet.

“This Easter I urge people to stay home and celebrate with people in your household. You must not gather in our parks and reserves.”

Mayor Waller said Council’s parks teams had faced one of the most challenging periods in Liverpool’s history.

“The February flooding caused awful damage throughout Liverpool and we are still dealing with the consequences of that,” she said. “And now of course we have had to divert staff to ensure all our parks and reserves have appropriate signage and taping.

“We have more than 200 parks and playgrounds, 49 sporting venues with more than 100 fields, 27 outdoor gyms and three skate parks spread over a large area. It’s a lot of territory to cover quickly at very short notice. The parks teams have really done a tremendous job.”

Although playgrounds and outdoor gyms remain closed, Council will be regularly cleaning all hard surfaces at parks including seating, tables and outdoor equipment with disinfectant.

Council staff will conduct regular inspections of parks and playgrounds to ensure damage is fixed as soon as possible. It is disappointing to note that tape has been repeatedly removed at some sites, leading to potential health hazards for the community.

Seating areas at Macquarie Mall are also closed to discourage group gatherings and police have fined people found in those areas.

For more information on Council’s response to coronavirus, see www.liverpool.nsw.gov.au/coronavirus.