Flagler County parks, sports fields to reopen June 6 with some limitations

Palm Coast Observer
News

Flagler County on Saturday, June 6, will restore its parks activities with social distancing and other CDC guidance as part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ announcement to enter Phase 2 of the state’s “Safe. Smart. Step-by-Step.” plan for recovery from COVID-19, and his Executive Order 20-139.

Sports fields and their associated activities – softball, baseball, soccer, lacrosse – as well as playgrounds and the skate park, will be open and ready to use. Basketball, however, is limited to individuals shooting hoops – no team or pick-up games because of the close contact nature of the sport.

“People can use pavilions with social distancing as a walk-up amenity, but we aren’t renting them out just yet,” said General Services Director Heidi Petito. “We are following the safety guidelines established by the various sports associations.”

Guidelines include, but are not limited to, the following:

All event participants, spectators, and employees must adhere to the six-foot physical distancing guidelines while at the facility.
Any person who is experiencing symptoms of illness will be prohibited from attending the event/venue of play.
Players, coaches, and spectators are not required to wear face coverings. However, it is recommended that face coverings be worn in close contact areas where social distancing is difficult to maintain.
Directors, players, coaches, umpires and spectators must adhere to the guidelines from CDC, state and local authorities regarding potential state or county travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders, including return to state or county of residence.
Players should bring their own, personal cooler instead of using a team cooler. Players should plan to bring an individual water bottle. No shared water or food coolers.
Teams should supply their athletes with antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer for disinfecting shared playing equipment and cleaning hands between innings.
Spectators may not sit or stand in high traffic areas (e.g., behind the backstops).
Fans may have to bring their own chairs or stand. Fans should keep six feet of social distancing between different household units.

The timing coincides with city of Palm Coast’s schedule to reopen its parks facilities.

“It’s just less confusing that way,” Petito said. “Not everyone knows which facilities are ours, and which belong to Palm Coast.”

Park pavilions and Community Center rentals will resume on June 15, with occupancy restrictions that match those for other county facilities – room occupancies at or below 50% and not to exceed 50 visitors.