Oak Park, one of the first communities in Illinois to issue a “shelter-in-place” order during the coronavirus pandemic has now taken another step to slow the spread of the disease, ordering the closure of all playgrounds, fields and courts.
According to a post on the suburban village’s website, the closure includes all basketball, tennis, pickleball and volleyball courts:
The closure does not apply to dog parks, but owners must abide by social distancing requirements.
The village issued a “shelter-in-place” order on March 18, two days before the state of Illinois issued a statewide order.
Cities and municipalities have been left to figure out how to enforce the orders, with Chicago seeing hundreds of people congregating on beaches and on running and biking trails near Lake Michigan. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday she is considering closing all beaches, lakefront trails and city parks if residents do not abide by the statewide order, and Interim Police Superintendent Charlie Beck says city police officers could begin issuing tickets to those not complying with the order.
