Jersey City reopens playgrounds, pools to follow on Friday
People visit Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey, on May 2, 2020. (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)
NEW JERSEY - Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop announced Thursday that all of the city's playgrounds and splash pads have reopened and that two of the city’s public pools will be reopening shortly thereafter, to offer residents a chance to cool off from the sweltering summer heat.
“We’ve taken many steps over the past few weeks to get our city back online in a safe and healthy manner,’ said Mayor Fulop. “Be it establishing outdoor safe eating zones for residents or reopening our parks for safely run activities, this makes perfectly good sense with the hotter temperatures to allow this format of recreation so that people can have fun, cool off and do it all safely.”
The news came as New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced that the state’s limit on outdoor gatherings has risen from 250 people to 500 ahead of the July 4 weekend.
Officials say that all of the city’s municipal playgrounds and public spray grounds have been power washed and disinfected and will be regularly cleaned going forward.
Beginning July 3, the first of two of the city’s outdoor pools will reopen, beginning with the Pavonia/Marion Pool. The Lafayette Pool is scheduled to reopen on July 10. Both pools will operate at just 50 percent capacity to allow for social distancing.
Anyone using the pools, playgrounds, or spray grounds will be required to obey safety guidelines from the state Department of Health like wearing face coverings and social distancing.
More information on which of the city's facilities are open to the public can be found here.