Monterey County allows playgrounds to reopen, but not all peninsula cities will reopen them

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) Six-year-old, Kaleb Murray, missed a lot about his neighborhood playground over the past seven months. "Not just the slides, but the swings too," said Murray.

At Laguna Grande Park, the "closed" signs have finally been taken down. The City of Seaside of following along with state guidance that says outdoors playgrounds and recreational areas can open in counties with more than an 8% COVID-19 positivity rate.

"Kids are desperate to play. This is really crucial for their social and emotional well-being," said Seaside Recreation Director, Dan Meewis.

Next door, city officials have made a different call. The City of Monterey has decided to keep their playgrounds closed.

"There are quite a few guidelines that were recommended. We took those into very serious consideration and decided we weren't going to reopen at this time," said Monterey Parks and Recreation Director, Karen Larson.

The state recommends that city staff implement a number of safe practices. This include cleaning equipment daily, encouraging social distance and mask requirements.

"We were concerned about city resources to keep up with those requirements. We also took into the state's risk level. We are still in the 'widespread' tier," said Larson.

Meewis said the City of Seaside is trusting the public to adhere to state-set rules. Signs that summarize the guidelines have been placed at the entrance of each Seaside park.

Seaside Mom, Nicole Murray, said her family is taking precautions beyond what is required. "About every 20 minutes we go back to the car. I have soap and water. I also have hand sanitizer for in-between that," said Murray.

Murray said she is thankful her kids now have a place to run, play and socialize with others. "With the kids, it's really difficult to hold them back any longer. It was really exciting to see how they lit up when we got here," said Murray.