Fresno mayor closes public parks for Easter weekend as coronavirus threat grows
Fresno Mayor Lee Brand on Wednesday announced the closure of all city parks on Easter Weekend, as the state continues to see a rise in coronavirus cases.
The city has been on a shelter-in-place order for two weeks. All of the city’s parks — from small neighborhood ones to large regional spaces like Roeding and Woodward parks — will be closed April 11 and 12.
The city of Fresno announced Tuesday that playgrounds at all parks would be closed during the pandemic because they are too difficult to properly sanitize.
Brand said he’s relying on people to stay out of the parks willingly but said stricter enforcement could also be used.
“Traditionally these are two of the busiest days at our parks and they attract large crowds of people,” he said. “In this COVID-19 period it would be very dangerous to keep them open.”
“Primarily we’re going to rely on voluntary compliance, but we’ll have to take a look at other measures,” he said.
Many churches have already closed to prevent large gatherings, instead holding services digitally, Brand said. An inter-faith city group has been working with the city to spread the message, he said.
Originally set to end on March 31, a shelter-in-place order extension asks Fresno’s roughly 500,000 residents to stay home and only leave for essential trips through April 12.
Brand said he would be having “the smallest dinner I’ve had in 40 or 50 years” on Easter Sunday, which he’d eat at home with his wife, Trish, and possibly one of his sons.
Fresno County on Tuesday had its highest daily increase in confirmed coronavirus cases, with a jump of 15 new positive tests, according to the Department of Health’s latest tally, bringing the county’s total to 68 active cases.
No COVID-19-related deaths have been reported in Fresno County, though neighboring county Madera reported one infected patient died. Tulare County has confirmed two deaths.
Fresno’s order to close all essential businesses has affected many people who have been laid off or took a hit to the hours they’d normally work. Exactly how many people were directly affected by the response to the coronavirus isn’t yet clear.
While people are sheltered at home, their water, power and other utilities will remain on regardless of whether residents are late on fees. The mayor established that policy along with the shelter-in-place order on March 18.
Fresno City Council later that month confirmed no late fees will be charged on utilities.
This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 1:20 PM.
