Playgrounds not reopening

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The playgrounds in our town haven't reopened this weekend. I was wondering if any councils had gone ahead and opened them?

Our council said they needed more time to prepare. Not sure what preparations they mean. Gel dispensers? Closing off some equipment?

Anyone have any ideas?

Ours haven’t opened. The council have released a statement saying the government guidance asks for them to be regularly cleaned, but hasn’t given enough detail so they’re not in a position to open them yet. Apparently they’ll review in two weeks.

Our weekly council update email said that our county's playgrounds are reopening today. I'm planning to take DD to a very quiet one this afternoon where we've never bumped into anyone in the past in the hope she can have a clamber.

Ours are open as usual. It's the same as before lockdown apart from a small sign on gates saying keep 2m apart and don't exercise with people not in your household, which everyone is ignoring.

Ours have opened, and we spent an hour there in the rain earlier this morning. My 3 year old was SO excited when she saw it was open - lovely to see!

Ours are opening next week, they need to do safety checks and reattach swings that they took off to make them less attractive to fence jumpers. I am impatient as anything!

@Dadnotamum72

Ours haven't opened it's a shambles like the toilets, Some councils health and safety mad others just open up and bring your own sanitizets etc.

If tge government say open things up then thats what the councils should do!!!

I think that the government said that councils could open playgrounds if they can do so safely but the decision is down to individual councils

Same as pubs, restaurants, cinemas - they can open if they can do safely but they don't have to

Ours are open. DS had a play at 9:45-10:30 and then it was starting to get a bit busier. We will go to another one tomorrow at 9 to have an hour there.

Off topic, but also being discussed, we have 2 sets of toilets open next to the 2 main parks now too. One set have been open throughout as it normally has cleaning staff full time and the other is open today which I hadn't noticed before.

Ours have not (northern area) and when I asked the council they said they could not adhere to the new guidelines currently and to check local social media in the coming weeks. My ds who is 6 is disappointed as they cover the news in school and knew the 4th was touted as opening day

Totally depends where you are I think. Here in South Norfolk they’re not cornered off so everyone has just gone back to playing on them. Haven’t seen any council people etc cleaning them at all. (We live next door to one)!!

@Dadnotamum72

Ours haven't opened it's a shambles like the toilets, Some councils health and safety mad others just open up and bring your own sanitizets etc.

If tge government say open things up then thats what the councils should do!!!

The problem is the govt says "open them and follow guidance doing xyz" - but where playgrounds are unmanned/unsupervised it isn't possible for councils/playground owners to follow the guidance.

We're in Greenwich and they've opened them here. Sad to see the Royal Parks don't have plans to open theirs soon, but they're usually v popular so understandable, especially considering the issues they've had with rubbish.

Ours opened this morning. Took my 3 year old first thing, was fantastic. Signs up about distancing and hand washing. I would have lifted him over the gate had they not been open today.

Our local authority arent opening theirs yet. This is what they posted. The government guidelines seem completely unrealistic

Ours aren’t opening. They don’t need to clean it after each child. Children just need to wash their hands / parents take gel with them.

I’m sure bus seats aren’t being cleaned after each bottom is sat on them for example!

On my local council website it has a list of which ones are opening today and which will be opened Monday. They say they have to clean them all, cut grass, check safety of equipment & put up new notices before opening but by the looks of it majority round here are opening today but I haven't actually been to ours to have a look!

The councils can just put up a sign saying that an adult with the child needs to be responsible for checking equipment and/or gel hands after use. Then leave it to the people responsible for children to manage, like happens with every other risk in the world from running out in the road onwards.

Ours still had locks on so we just lifted the kids over the gate it was fun

We went in our local playground this morning, went over the fence! Cleaned hands before we left! Great time!

The local one opened here but it's a small one just got residents on the estate really (not private but nothing special so outsiders won't bother) main town one is opening Monday along with the boat hire, mini golf etc

@MRex I agree can’t they just rid themselves of responsibility by putting a sign up?

Ours has a really tall gate and a screw is through the padlock 🤣

The playground in my village is open. Someone came early and cut the grass and put up a sign. I saw 2 boys playing and they just looked so happy.

Our local councils are phasing reopening starting next week. They may need some maintenance checks and risk assessments first.

Those guidelines listed above are clearly OTT. Ours opened this morning with parental responsibility for handgel.

DC could slobber & snot all over any other shared public space, fence, gate, recycling bin but playgrounds are apparently hospitable Mecca for intolerable germs.

Don’t forget that they have been sneezing and coughing all over everything in their reception class and school nursery for weeks now.

If school staff are told it’s safe to go back to work because children don’t transmit it then why can’t playgrounds open?