Our council isn’t opening playgrounds

[Thewheelsonthebus23]

But the neighbouring council are.

I’ve just had an email response from our council and I’m so angry.
Why on earth aren’t playgrounds allowed to re-open but indoor places like pubs are? Oh and theme parks are also allowed to open! None of it makes any sense to me.
I’m thinking of writing to my MP although it probably won’t make any difference.
We went to the neighbouring town today becatse we knew they’d be open and they were.

@thewheelsonthebus23, I'm in Kirklees. (Sorry, haven't checked thr thread for a while). Went today and they've socially distanced the swings. 🤨 Removed two of four so that there's a 2m gap....

[quote spababe]@Thewheelsonthebus23 I know and I'm trying to get ours open but it's a struggle.

@Hercwasonaroll The councils are afraid of being sued and that their insurance won't cover them

Government guidance including cleaning is here www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-managing-playgrounds-and-outdoor-gyms/covid-19-guidance-for-managing-playgrounds-and-outdoor-gyms[/quote]
Hmm..
Lambeth council have opened the playgrounds and said that they won't cleaned.

Deciding whether to open can depend on the stance of the council's insurance company - at least one is insisting that all government guidelines must be followed, including cleaning, or there is no insurance cover. Signage and "at own risk" is not enough. Councils may have to send a copy of their COVID-19 risk assessment for approval before opening.

Until the requirement to clean equipment is removed/revised, some playgrounds will remain closed.

Some parents allowing their children to use closed playgrounds may not be aware that usage is not covered by insurance, and that equipment may not be being checked for safety. Repairs were put on hold by manufacturers and suppliers, and there is now a big backlog of works. Part of the COVID risk assessment is a signed off H&S inspection, which means some councils need to hold off on opening.

The guidance suggests a sign to advise parents to clean equipment, I'm really not seeing the insurance issue with the advice. Even in the worst case (unlikely because the fomite risk is so low), how exactly is anybody going to prove that someone caught coronavirus in the playground from equipment and not from failure to distance correctly?

[quote Hercwasonaroll]@Davodia Then how come some councils are literally just putting up a sign and getting on with it?

It's like schools all over again. The guidance is full of "where practicable" and words like "regular" with no definitions. So some schools went OTT and some went with the spirit of the guidance.

If I lived in an area the councils hadn't opened, I'd jump the fence.

Cleaning is a misnomer anyway, you can't clean between children so the second the equipment is used after cleaning it becomes potentially infectious. Evidence seems to show it doesn't survive brilliantly on outdoor surfaces anyway.[/quote]
Government guidance is that masks do not stop transmission and hand washing is the only way to prevent transmission. The virus survives for days on metal and plastic, vastly reduced by sunshine which can kill it in half an hour or so.
So playgrounds will be safe if used in strong sunshine (and the kids don't touch anything in the shade) as long as half an hour has passed since the last child touched it.
Right...
Realistically, wipe with alcohol based cleaner before use.
Or do not use playgrounds.

Or use hand gel after. Sorted.

@MRex

The guidance suggests a sign to advise parents to clean equipment, I'm really not seeing the insurance issue with the advice. Even in the worst case (unlikely because the fomite risk is so low), how exactly is anybody going to prove that someone caught coronavirus in the playground from equipment and not from failure to distance correctly?

A court may decide , as a council is obviously not following guidance and guaranteeing that the playground is safe and that it did not have to open, that it has exposed local residents to unacceptable risk.

So, not 100% guaranteed to have cause infection but 50% liable for all parents who become ill due to children's infection in the local area.

People who didn't go anywhere near the playground could claim damages because of the super spreader event the council is responsible for.

Playgrounds are unsupervised, uncleaned, unsocially distanced areas.

Pubs are supervised, cleaned, socially distanced spaces.
You are being unreasonable to risk peoples lives.

The council would refer to the government advice that suggested a sign. What's your point?

It's a pandemic, there have been public health messages telling people to keep distance and wash hands. At some point personal responsibility kicks in.

@Thewheelsonthebus23 same
Issue in large South Yorkshire city but boarding towns are open

I am in South Yorkshire and the parks around us are not yet open either 😞, I get email updates from our council and the last one on Saturday said they were keeping them all closed until they could confirm they would be safe

Our council won't open them yet council next to us is .Since that council play park is 1/4 mile from our town e anyone just going there .

Seems no rhyme or reason why each council.Differnt

Issue with insurance is that if the insurer insists that all guidance has to be followed before the playground can be opened, not following the guidance will mean that the playground is not insured. Not just for COVID-19 related claims, but also accidents and injuries, public liability, employer liability etc. Not something a Council can really afford to risk.

Small Parish Councils may be in the process of working out what they need to do to open, and organising the work. Small PCs may only have one member of staff, a part-time Clerk, doing less than 20 hours a month. The guidance came out late Friday afternoon, so councils (often the clerk) had a week to read the guidance, come up with a plan, get information/agreement from their insurer, carry out the safety inspection, carry out the risk assessment, make and print posters, do any maintenance/repair work necessary, obtain council approval for opening (clerk may not have the delegated authority allowing them to make the decision on behalf of the council) which might need a formally convened meeting etc - a fair amount of work for someone doing 5 hours a week, plus their normal work. If the Clerk was on holiday last week, it might be that nothing happened at all, and the Clerk has this to deal with when the return to work.