California officials have reversed course and are allowing playgrounds to stay open under the state's regional stay-at-home order.
The state updated its guidance Wednesday morning stating on its COVID-19 dashboard that playgrounds can stay open to "facilitate physically distanced personal health and wellness through outdoor exercise."
Many parents have felt the impact of playground closures, particularly in areas where schools are also closed for in-person classes. With data seeming to suggest that younger children are both at lower risk for getting sick from the virus and have a lower incidence of transmission, education experts and some physicians and public health experts have pushed for playgrounds and schools to remain open.
The San Joaquin Valley and Southern California regions are currently the only two to have triggered the stay-at-home order, with ICU capacity falling below 15%.
Public health officials in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and Santa Clara Counties as well as the City of Berkeley have voluntarily adopted the stay-at-home order in an effort to prevent hospitals and ICU wards from filling up.
Health officials with Alameda, Contra Costa and Marin Counties and the city of Berkeley have confirmed to KCBS Radio that they will amend their order to reflect the state's changes and San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced on Twitter that the city's playgrounds will reopen Thursday.
It is not immediately clear if Contra Costa and Santa Clara Counties will follow.
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