With the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many social restrictions in place in Baltimore County and Maryland.
Among those regulations are a ban on the usage of playgrounds and no more than 10 people may gather in a group.
With warmer temperatures arriving, many people are starting to venture out and have been spotted at local parks. According to Baltimore County, parks are still open and are permitted for usage. However; the rule for gatherings of less than 10 people is still in effect and there have been concerns that rule is being violated at parks.
There were reports on the Parkville and Perry Hall social media community pages of an abundance of visitors to multiple parks in the region. Some of the parks mentioned on the sites were Double Rock Park in Parkville, Honeygo Park in Perry Hall and the fields of Perry Hall and Towson High Schools.
Some of these reported gatherings included soccer games, basketball games and a large crowd on school tracks on Friday afternoon. Fifth District Baltimore County Councilman David Mark’s expressed disapproval of these big groups.
“This afternoon, I received separate complaints about large crowds at the Perry Hall and Towson High School athletic complexes. The police have also received the same complaints,” Marks said on Friday.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan was critical of large crowds at the Cherry Blossom Festival and at the Boardwalk in Ocean City last weekend. The Town of Ocean City closed down the Boardwalk last week. Marks stated he is fearful that local parks and fields could be shut down next if people don’t use social distancing.
“This is not the time for sports practices and games. We are very close, in my opinion, to these facilities and others being shut down – which unfortunately hurts everyone, including those who use these fields in small groups spaced apart,” Marks said on social media.
