LARAMIE, WYOMING: The City of Laramie & Albany County School District, following recommendations from the National Recreation & Parks Association and the Albany County Public Health Officer, are closing all playgrounds effective immediately. This closure is designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 through eliminating touch surfaces. This closure will stay in effect until further notice. The safety of the community is our priority as we all work together to reduce the curve.
We understand the important value playgrounds and play structures provide to communities across the country, especially for children. But, given the current situation and the guidance from national organizations and public health officials on physical distancing, limiting in-person social interactions, avoiding spaces where people congregate in close quarters, and the concerns around transmission of the virus being spread through surfaces, we believe that playgrounds and play structures should temporarily close in an effort to reduce community spread.
Parks, trails, and green spaces that provide adequate room for physical distancing will remain open for the public to use in responsible ways that protect public health and safety. Through this pandemic our local parks, trails and open spaces have become even more of a haven and place of respite from the stresses of daily life and the uncertainty we face. We know the physical and mental health benefits that these spaces provide and urge everyone to continue to access these areas while maintaining the recommended guidelines to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
We will re-evaluate the closure of these areas as changes occur during this ongoing pandemic, with any pending recommendations from Albany County Public Health, the State of Wyoming or the CDC. For more information on the City of Laramie and COVID-19 go to https://www.cityoflaramie.org/COVID-19. For parks specific questions contact Scott Hunter, Parks Manager at SHunter@cityoflaramie.org or 307-721-5264. For Albany County School District specific questions contact Randy Wilkison, Director of Operations at rwilkison@acsd1.org or 307-721-4400.