City paints physical-distancing circles in park after complaints
Large groups of people basking in summery temperatures at Mooney’s Bay have prompted the city to draw physical-distancing circles at the municipal park.
The city painted the circles Friday morning. The circles are about seven feet in diameter and about 12 feet apart from each other.
Dan Chenier, the general manager responsible for parks, said the city has been concerned specifically about Mooney’s Bay after seeing people congregating along the waterfront during the heat wave this week.
“Because this summer is not a totally normal summer with COVID-19 among us, we are concerned about considerable risk of gatherings in the parks,” Chenier said during a news conference Friday.
According to Chenier, the city received numerous complaints about the crowds, and park ambassadors have been trying to educate people about physical distancing. Bylaw and police officers have been monitoring the park to make sure people are following the province’s emergency orders.
When it comes to municipal parks, the orders compel the city to close play structures (Mooney’s Bay has one of the largest playgrounds in Canada) and there is still a pandemic-related law that makes it illegal for groups of more than five people to gather in a public space.
So, the city is trying out the circles as a small pilot project after seeing other cities paint them in parks. The idea is to keep people safely away from each other as they lounge on the grass. Public health authorities want people to stay two metres apart to avoid transmitting the virus.
“If a circle is not available, please keep walking and find a safe place to occupy in the park,” Chenier advised. And if you use a circle, don’t leave your garbage there, he said.
The city is prepared to draw circles in other busy parks, such as others with beaches, if the pilot project at Mooney’s Bay works out.
There aren’t any special bylaw enforcement measures that are accompanying the physical-distancing circles, Chenier said.
“These are just visual clues to help distance themselves and they’re also a good reminder that distancing is important in the park,” he said. jwilling@postmedia.com twitter.com/JonathanWilling