Glendale shutting down parks this Easter holiday weekend to prevent anticipated gatherings
Glendale parks will be closed this weekend, with the Easter holiday and projections of good weather over Saturday and Sunday expected to draw crowds during a time when people are advised to stay home in an effort to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
All parks are slated to reopen on Monday, according to City Manager Yasmin Beers, who announced the temporary closure during a City Council meeting on Tuesday evening.
“We’ve had issues at some of our parks,” said Beers, singling out continued gatherings at Brand Park, where gates allowing cars to enter have already been closed.
“With this weekend being an Easter weekend, and understanding that the weather is going to be good, there are a number of folks we are sure who are going to want to hit our parks,” added Beers, who is helming the city’s day-to-day emergency response to the ongoing public-health crisis.
The announcement arrived on the heels of county officials asking residents to even avoid grocery shopping this week, calling it a critical period to reduce the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Glendale has 218 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, according to a report released Friday by the L.A. County Department of Public Health. Two local residents have died from the virus, according to Glendale Fire Chief Silvio Lanzas.
The first person who died from the virus, on March 23, was over 65 years old, according to county health officials. The second death was a 75-year-old male, according to Glendale city spokeswoman Eliza Papazian.
Glendale officials have already shuttered hiking trails and other recreational facilities, including playgrounds, gyms and a public pool. Those orders will remain in place throughout the emergency period that is set to expire on April 30.
Police will be monitoring parks, hiking trails and other temporary off-limit areas via helicopter patrols, according to Glendale Police Chief Carl Povilaitis.
While the goal is deterrence, Povilaitis said defying the orders could result in fines and/or jail time for what would be a misdemeanor offense.
Councilman Dan Brotman said it sometimes seemed counterintuitive to limit access to the most expansive areas in the city, where distancing should be easier.
“I’m expressing some frustration that I’m hearing from people, and also that I’ve experienced myself, where a fire road seems like a very nice, wide-open, great place to walk, and the sidewalk may be very narrow and not a very safe space to walk,” Brotman said during the council meeting.
Access to some open spaces across Los Angeles County was limited after a sunny weekend in late March attracted hordes of people who were not properly social distancing, such as standing 6 feet apart, officials said at the time.
County officials shuttered hiking trails, and beach access in many areas has been restricted. Yellow caution tape is now a familiar sight in parks in Glendale and beyond, cordoning off no-go areas, like playgrounds and picnic tables.
There are also those in the community who want to see more areas made off limits, Beers said.
“We have had a lot of push from certain parts of the community to completely shut down some of our parks, and we haven’t done that because of the importance for folks to get out and exercise, and have the opportunity to be in some green space outside of narrow streets and streets with no sidewalks,” Beers said.