Brick Playgrounds Close A Day After Opening

BRICK, NJ — One day after Brick Township's playgrounds were reopened so children could climb and swing, officials were forced to close them down again.

The playgrounds were closed in March in efforts to curtail the spread of the coronavirus. But in recent days, Gov. Phil Murphy has been allowing various activies to resume as the rate of new infections has continued to fall.

On Tuesday, when Murphy announced that outdoor recreation and entertainment could resume except for amusement parks, water parks and arcades, Brick officials interpreted that to mean playgrounds could reopen as well.

"The governor’s office called this morning and stated that playgrounds are not considered 'outdoor recreation' and therefore cannot be open," Brick Mayor John G. Ducey said.

The township will not be blocking everything off with fencing in and caution tape this time, he said.

"We will put up a sign at each playground that the governor’s office has closed the playground," Ducey said. "No fence or anything like that."

Murphy's order on Tuesday did allow parking at parks, from the state level on down to municipal parks, to be used at full capacity. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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