Many San Jose Playgrounds, Other Park Amenities Reopening

Many San Jose playgrounds and other park amenities will begin reopening on Friday after a nearly seven-month hiatus.

San Jose, under state guidelines, is taking a phased approach to reopening 290 playgrounds and over 1,000 amenities.

Those amenities include basketball and volleyball courts, park benches, barbeque pits and picnic areas.

Basketball and volleyball court reopenings will happen over several weeks because park staff need to reinstall hoops and nets. Barbeque and picnic areas will also open over the course of several weeks and will have stricter protocols in place.

City guidelines require one household per picnic table, the use of table covers or sanitizing before and after with disinfectants, cleaning up of all trash, wearing face coverings except when eating and maintaining 6 feet from people outside of one's household.

The Communications Hill staircase has also reopened as well as most of San Jose's 65 sports fields, with the exception of Ramac and Watson parks.

These reopenings join skateparks, golf courses and dog parks that opened in May and June.

"Parents and caretakers are responsible for ensuring that their children are playing safe and following all of the rules," park guidelines read. "Do your part to protect your family and others against COVID-19 by following these guidelines."

Park goers are required to wear masks, sanitize hands and equipment before every usage and practice social distancing. Children on the playground are encouraged to not share toys.

Those who violate state or county health orders or use closed amenities may be subject to fines of $100 or more.

State guidelines urge park visitors to limit time at a playground to 30 minutes when other people are present, wash and sanitize before and after, and consider coming at different times to avoid crowding.

Elderly and people with underlying health conditions are also recommended to avoid the playgrounds and other shared amenities when other people are present.

For more information regarding park amenity reopenings, click here.