39 play areas to close in Aldershot and Farnborough
Rushmoor Borough Council announced the news today (13 January)
It has been announced that from today (13 January) all play areas in Aldershot and Farnborough will be shut because of coronavirus.
Rushmoor Borough Council made the announcement this afternoon.
A post on Facebook said it was a difficult decision but that extra precautions to protect residents have to be taken because the area now has the seventh-highest rate of infection in England.
Under current guidance from the government play areas are allowed to stay open.
A statement from Rushmoor Borough Council on social media added:
"The virus is very contagious, and we believe the risk of children and families mixing in our play areas is too high - and so we have decided to act now to protect our community.
"Although the government has not asked for all play areas to close, as with the first lockdown, we do have powers to close them at our own discretion and all 39 of our play areas will be closed by tomorrow morning. We will naturally keep this decision under review.
"In the meantime, all our parks will remain open, so please do continue using them for exercise and fresh air, remembering to keep to social distancing guidelines."