Red Deer closes playgrounds to prevent COVID-19 from spreading

EDMONTON -- The City of Red Deer will close all of its playgrounds effective Tuesday in another effort to curb the growth of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The closure includes all play structures and fitness parks within Red Deer city limits, and does not include public trails, open park spaces or pathways.

"This was a difficult decision for us to make, as we know families are at home with children, looking for ways to keep active and enjoy warmer temperatures," Mayor Tara Veer said in a statement. "We must make these hard decisions in order to stop the spread in our community. We know we are doing the right thing."

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Residents who do make use of the city's trails are being asked to respect physical distancing and keep at least two metres from others.

Veer said the city wants to keep those spaces open "and our ability to do that will be directly linked to our citizens' cohesion and respect to social distancing practices."

Earlier in the day, Red Deer announced it would reduce transit service and extend recreation centre closures.

So far, there has been one confirmed case of COVID-19 in Red Deer County, according to the Alberta government's latest available statistics.