Denver Under New Restrictions To Continue Coronavirus Fight

DENVER (CBS4) - Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced new restrictions on activities in city parks Monday. Sharing recreational equipment is no longer allowed, even between members of the same family.

"As of now, we are going to start restricting the use of shared equipment such as frisbees and footballs," city officials tweeted Monday.

According to Denver Parks and Recreation, families and residents who live in the same household are not exempt from the shared recreational equipment restriction.

The city wants to the rules to be more consistent, making restrictions easier for park-goers to understand and abide by.

The new restrictions comes days before Colorado's stay-at-home order is set to expire.

"Just because we're relaxing some of the standards, it does not mean COVID is out of the community. It's still here," said Dr. Reginald Washington, Chief Medical Officer at PSL Medical Center & RMHC. "Any surface may be contaminated. It'll be contaminated by the person who used it before you did."

Family members, who live in the same household, were exempt from the social distancing guidelines in parks announced late March. Mayor Hancock's executive order also closed playgrounds, basketball courts, tennis courts and skateparks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Denver Parks and Rec says the enforcement of social distancing and recreational equipment in parks continues to be focused on educating the community, not penalizing them with citations.

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