The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it.
The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday at noon.
As we all know, playgrounds in Contra Costa County have been closed until further notice due to COVID-19.
QUESTION: Do you think playgrounds should be open, or do you think they should stay closed until further notice?
Talk about it….
Only if the playground is packed with thousands of 5-year-olds protesting.
Mine is open but have to watch for doggie poo 🙂
YES! Please!
these pictures look like the Twilight Zone
Of course playgrounds should be open. But then again we are under communist rule. LA county teachers union has stated that kids will go back to school when police are defunded and charter schools are closed. These are just two of their demands. Oh, but this isn’t political and they are only looking out for the kids well being.
@Gone – that is not what the teacher’s union said.
It was reported that teachers union pension fund is 100 million in the red… they want that covered too…very familiar…never let a crisis go to waste….who said that?
REGARDLESS ………
WEAR A MASK
This will start to get better if we all wore a mask.
4-8 weeks wearing a mask or 4-8 years wearing a mask. You decide.
Parks are outdoors with plenty of space for “social distancing” and masks are not required unless it is difficult to stay far enough away from someone. Masks are not a panacea anyway but funny how many mask “true believers” are around. People should be encouraged to build up their immune systems especially if they have been lax all these years in doing so.
Well said Matt 👏
So Dr Matt
Where do you get the 4-8 weeks or 4-8 years? Seriously, where is your data source?
Um “Parent” …
This is the guidance from the CDC. They have already clearly stated if EVERYONE wore a mask for 4-8 weeks we could flatten the curve. And being a reasonable person I use the 4-8 years as a idea this pandemic will be around for a long time if we continue to do nothing.
Fortunately Matt you are not in control …. 4-8 years? That is some funny stuff right now ….
We are doing stuff ..
Multiple companies are working on vaccines.
Crowd Control measure are in place, failing, but in place.
Other countries are ‘over it’, per colleagues in Switzerland, and have moved on.
4-8 years … wow … The world will look different when you come out of hibernation.
@ parent
“We” are not doing enough. That is why why have stricter restriction once again. If “we” were doing recommend safety measures ALL THE TIME we would have a better handle on this virus. But “we” are not doing that. So YES I can see a future of 4-8 years of restriction because “we”, and I hope you realize I am talking about more then just Claycord, I’m talking about the nation, need to follow these guidelines. I know 4 people that tested positive for COVID-19, one of which had died. Yet there are still people in their country that think it’s all fake. So yes “WE” must do a better job and follow some simple guidelines for 4 to 8 weeks.
YES! There is all these things for adults to do but not a whole lot for kids to do. And it’s free!
Absolutely NOT. If people don’t start getting a grip on what is happening with this virus we will be in this situation for a lot longer, if not years.
The street I live on is one big playground. Everyday kids are outside playing and none of them seem to be getting sick, and their parents aren’t too concerned, so go ahead and open them up.
Open up everything, I just don’t believe all the hype. We’ve had a nasty Tuberculosis outbreak a couple of years ago and nothing closed. Tuberculosis is also airborne and highly contagious.
Humm,…Think it should be up to the parent (s) if they want to bring their kids to the playground or not,…but should wear a mask. Just feel sad for the children having to deal with this Covid-19 nightmare. Life has changed so much for them in so many ways.
Of course they should be open. And all schools should reopen also. And all restaurants. Enough of the communist controlavirus BS.
Yes, open them up…children need to play and stay active (noticed neighborhood kids have some Covid-19 SIP weight gain)…it;s outdoor so risk is minimal.
Yes…open them up!
Yes. Open playgrounds, wear a mask if you’re over 6 years old, and county should put hand sanitizer dispenser there.
Absolutely NOT. Kids get COVID! Why would I want to risk my children’s health? Even if there is a small chance of getting infected? You all are think the Pandemic is a hoax? Fortunately the people in charge are enlightened.
PUT SCIENCE FIRST. I Expect hateful things being said to me again because I honestly think most of you don’t know how dangerous COVID-19 is. IF EVERYONE WOULD FOLLOW THE MANDATES FOR JUST A MONTH WE CAN MITIGATE COVID.
It’s also bad for kids to have no activity and play for a year. You can’t make rational decisions if you reject *any* amount of risk. Shopping for groceries involves risk, as does seeing a doctor, as does having a delivery driver bring you food or goods. The question is: how much risk, and how important is the activity? They are now saying that surfaces are not a major driver of transmission. If the playground is mostly empty and the surfaces are all bathed in UV rays all day long, it seems that transmission is unlikely. And outdoor transmission itself is much less likely. And what’s more, young children are significantly less likely to transmit the virus.
Kids are already getting hit hard with the effects of shelter in place and school closures, and loneliness. They are taking the hit so adults, esp. older ones, can stay safe. I say we need to prioritize low-risk ways for them to have some healthy activity and play in their lives. Kids need these things for their development, physical and emotional. Social scientists and psychologists are going to be studying the effects of all these closures on this cohort of kids for decades. We owe it to them to preserve low-risk activities that can help.
Do you not realize that we ALL stayed home for 45 days straight, and then some? What we have shown is that it obviously didn’t matter one whit. The “science” HAS shown that kids are not vectors for this virus and you can google numerous studies around the globe showing that. Instead you should be asking why our state is releasing 8,000 prisoners out of jail into the population? Or maybe ask our leaders how it is that protesters can’t catch Covid but churchgoers can? It isn’t hateful to point to factual information. Most people know the virus is not a hoax. But it is being politicized and fear is being used to control people. This is very destructive for all of us.
LED and SGV
Ignore ILP. She was left in the microwave too long when they cooked the popcorn. She likes to say “put science first” but does not like it when you show her studies that prove real science vs her words. She also keeps spouting off ‘hoax’ …
She is funny to read though, I will give her that much.
ILP lives in the Rossmoor bubble. Bring totally irrelevant “reasoning” to support everyone living like they are in their golden years.
Can parents distance their children from other kids?
No, not until COVID is deemed under control. There is no realistic way to keep the equipment sanitized. I’ve read numerous times that children who get COVID-19 typically show no or mild symptoms, but the propensity for a child to spread COVID-19 is currently unknown.
I’ve seen many family units and nannies with children bring their own playing equipment to Larkey Park and the field behind PHE: frisbees, balls, soccer setups, etc. I’m amazed at how well some children handle a frisbee, which I’ve never in my life been able to do!
The equipment gets continually disinfected by Sunlight. Outdoor playgrounds are safer for kids than being at home all the time.
Yes, let the kids play, use common sense.
Nobody under the age of 17 has died from COVID-19 in the State of California. Keeping playgrounds closed seems an overkill. Pardon the pun.
In the whole county only 28 people who were not in long term care homes have died. Probably have had more drug ODs.
I know many of you insist on calling this tragedy the Coronavirus I still call this war by the arrogant Chinese Communists. We made them rich and this is the thanks we get. Buying up the country wasn’t enough for them.
I think jurisdictions need not worry about playgrounds, leave it up to the parents to monitor their kids. If they are worried about disease they can keep their kids away from the apparatus and kids that have used it. It’s a good time to teach kids to build their imaginations and create toys out of whatever is at hand.
For kids able to read, reading is the most fruitful method of learning to create and not require a machine to do their thinking for them.
Close the playgrounds. There’s no way to ensure that they are safe. Kids can and do get COVID and then can transmit it to grandparents and other at risk populations.
Kids can and do live without playgrounds and they are just fine. I grew up in rural area without access to parks and playgrounds. I was fine and so were the other kids who lived where I did.
Get creative. Make obstacle courses, run races, do socially distanced physical challenges,. Let your kids build stuff in your driveway or yard. Play hide and seek.
Let your kids go to the park and keep them away from high risk people like they should be doing anyway.
YES. The “science” is on the side of kids going back to school which of course includes playgrounds. Studies from around the globe say that kids are NOT vectors for this virus no are they likely to get it themselves. Kids need to play and interact with other kids. It’s insane to be treating them like they are 85 years old. If you believe they are vectors then keep grandma and grandpa at a distance from them. Kids should not be punished because of this virus.
Yes! People should be allowed to decide what is or isn’t safe for them. No more of this nanny state. The number of COVID-positive children under 18 is very low (estimated at 2% of the US population with COVID per a CDC study). More harm is being done to children right now being forced to stay home and away from their friends. They need to go play, have fun and build up their immune systems!
Maybe we should all hide under the bed until the end, and have our kids and grandchildren bury us in the backyard. Let the neighbors worry about it. Someone will call the police.
There has been some significant civil disobedience on this point in the Claycord area, I’m happy to say. Some parks get taped up several times a day because people have decided this makes no sense and is not a high-risk activity. (And they are right about that.) The tape goes up, and it gets taken down.
I’m all for masks and smart re-opening. Closing playgrounds isn’t smart, it just further punishes the kids who bear the brunt of all this disruption. Low risk, high benefit. Should be a no-brainer.
Dan. That is exactly what they said.
If parents continue to be stupid then parks should definitely be closed
Do you not realize that we ALL stayed home for 45 days straight, and then some? What we have shown is that it obviously didn’t matter one whit. The “science” HAS shown that kids are not vectors for this virus and you can google numerous studies around the globe showing that. Instead you should be asking why our state is releasing 8,000 prisoners out of jail into the population? Or maybe ask our leaders how it is that protesters can’t catch Covid but churchgoers can? It isn’t hateful to point to factual information. Most people know the virus is not a hoax. But it is being politicized and fear is being used to control people. This is very destructive for all of us.
SGV when you said “ALL stayed home for 45 days straight” can you please tell us who ALL is? The ALL’s I know didn’t say home. The ALL’s on Claycord didn’t stay home. People drove from store to store to hoard toilet paper and food. So who ” All stayed home for 45days”? Just asking for a friend.
If you can’t play nice on Claycord you can’t play at the park.
Yes they should be opened. Kids needs to get out and exercise and be around other kids. If you are worried, do not bring your kid.
Public bathrooms at Pleasant Hill Park, Roger Smith, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes is all open, so why not the parks? If they can keep the bathrooms clean, why not the playground equipment. If you are worried, the city can spray a bleach solution on the equipment once a day, let it soak for 10-20 minutes (whatever time should be) and then rinse it off.
It aint that hard …
When I worked for the City, the Parks personnel would clean the restrooms 4 times a day. They would all be trashed within an hour or so every day. Willow Pass had the most trouble.
Open the playground. Close the disease-ridden restrooms.
In Walnut Creek parents of the toddlers have been moving those signs out of the way and removing the yellow caution tape. They let the kids play together while sitting side by side (no social distancing) on convenient bench like planter medians to chat while watching the kids. It’s like the old pox parties.
I’m fine with this as COVID-19 at that age, both for the children and their parents, is a non-issue. I assume the parents are aware that visits between their families and those of the grandparent’s generation and older should be socially distanced.
Show me the data:
That tells that playgrounds are where the virus is spreading, or barbers, or any other place…
Show me the data….
Yes, please open playgrounds! But, parents should use common sense when allowing their children to play there. Parents should wear masks and supervise their children. If the area becomes too crowded, leave with your children. Make sure everyone in the family who has been at the playground, takes off their shoes prior to entering the home, and wash their hands for 20 seconds. Don’t take your children if they are ill, and discuss the importance of not touching their faces. Let kids have some normalcy, but be proactive and smart about it.
Yes they should open. Fresh air and play are essential for children to grow. Staying in the house all day with video games and stupid TV is so unhealthy and is very habit forming. They will become adults who continue those bad habits.
I’ve been bringing my daughter to the park. Yeah, it’s surrounded by caution tape, but she uses the caution tape as a limbo as she goes down the slides. She enjoys the new challenges of going down the slides. It’s nice too, because we have the park all to ourselves.
Our family has been exposed to Covid. We have close friends who have had it, and it came and went in the form of a scratchy cough. If you’re frail or have health issues, then stay at home but don’t whine when the majority of the population wants to go back to living a normal healthy life.
Daycares are open but playgrounds aren’t?? Is it because daycares rake in the money from the cleanly elites who can afford to pay the obscene prices during this pandemic? While playgrounds are free and any old dirty person could bring their dirty child to the dirty public play structure? Where’s the logic?? More studies show that covid actually isn’t really transmitted through surface contact.. Grocery stores no longer wipe down stations in between customers.. Makes no sense then that playgrounds, which are outdoor, are closed..