The City of Omaha is preparing to reopen playgrounds and splash pads across the metro as COVID-19 related restrictions begin to ease.
During her weekly coronavirus press briefing on Friday, Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said that due to Governor Ricketts' more relaxed directed health measures for June, she and Parks Director Brook Bench made the decision to reopen.
Stothert says she knows parents have been letting their children play on playgrounds recently, even though they were supposed to be closed, but starting June 1st they will officially reopen. The Mayor says she is still urging parents to use caution while letting children play on the equipment. "We just want to really really let people know that they have to be responsible. Use their own judgment and really be careful when using this equipment because we can't guarantee that it has been disinfected."
All city splash grounds and park bathrooms will also be open on June 1st, but bathrooms will only be disinfected once a day, so caution should still be used when going into the bathrooms.
Stothert says no decision has been made about opening city pools yet, as they may have to remain closed due to budget constraints. Disc golf, trapshooting and tennis courts will also be reopened and two people will again be allowed to use the same golf cart. Golfers had previously been limited to one person per cart.