Mecklenburg County locks down tennis, basketball and volleyball courts in parks
Mecklenburg County is disabling or locking up sports courts in its parks to discourage playing games that share equipment amid the coronavirus pandemic.
That means gates around public tennis courts will be locked, nets for volleyball courts taken down, and basketball goals zip-locked to disable their use. The intent is to keep citizens from playing sports that share equipment — such as balls — that can add to the spread of COVID-19.
The county and the state of North Carolina both issued stay-at-home orders in the past week. While outdoor exercise is permitted, and parks have been kept open, sports that involve sharing equipment is out.
“This is a very serious situation,” said Andy Fair, a Mecklenburg County spokesman. “If you need to exercise, stay away from others. Comply with the order: Don’t play basketball or tennis or volleyball.”
County health director Gibbie Harris expressed concern Sunday that citizens weren’t practicing social distancing over the weekend, when warm, sunny weather brought numerous visitors to the parks. People were congregating and playing games that shared equipment.
Fair said county workers began disabling sports courts over the weekend, with the new measures announced Tuesday. The county had already closed playgrounds because of how those surfaces could spread infection among children and parents.
‘If you’re holding something — if you’re playing basketball — the ball gets sweaty and you pass it to somebody. You just want to avoid that. It’s pretty basic,” county park and rec director Lee Jones said Monday.
Jones advised citizens who see people congregating at the parks or sharing sports equipment to call 311.
“We will get out there and enforce the order,” Jones said. “We will tell folks to break up. If we need additional help (from law enforcement) in doing that, we will get it.”
This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 12:00 AM.
