Montgomery Parks reopens some sites to public

Playgrounds are still closed

Posted: May 8, 2020 / 03:37 PM EDT

Updated: May 8, 2020 / 05:57 PM EDT

SILVER SPRING, Md. (WDVM) — Outdoor activities such as tennis, camping and driving ranges, are now open across the state of Maryland.

This comes after most parks were shut down to increase social distancing efforts across the state. Montgomery Parks, which is part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, announced the reopening of certain sites following Governor Hogan’s updated state order on Thursday.

Some of the reopened sites include all outdoor tennis courts, campgrounds, driving and archery ranges and water activities. There are a few sites that are still closed due to sanitation concerns, like playgrounds. Montgomery County Planning Board Chair, Casey Anderson said, “Playgrounds are still closed because we’re not confident that we can keep them sanitized or enforce the rules of social distancing and crowd size.”

Basketball courts and athletic fields will also remain closed until further notice. Officials urge participants to continue to follow CDC and social distancing guidelines, and are encouraged not to gather in groups of more than 10 people.