FLOWOOD, Miss. (WJTV) – Parks across Mississippi reopened on Thursday with some restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The parks have been closed for more than month. Flowood has several parks people couldn’t wait to get to, including Flowood Nature Park.
“I think it’s good for everyone. We got to get back to normal, and this is normal for us. The sooner things are open and everybody’s doing what they normally do and safely, then the better it’ll be for everyone,” said Joy Haynes, a visitor to the park.
Flowood Liberty Park is also open. It houses the baseball and soccer fields. Officials with the city’s emergency management agency said even though the fields are open, only 20 people are allowed to a field. They’re also encouraging parents to watch their children from their vehicles to minimize the number of people outside.
“We have park rangers that will be stationed at the parks to monitor and try to keep people split up the best we can. We’re just asking everyone to follow the CDC guidelines, the guidelines that the governor put out,” said Nathan Harvell, Director of Flowood’s Emergency Management Agency.
Winner’s Circle Park in Flowood is not fully open due to fears of the virus could quickly spread on the playground.
“A lot of children in close proximity, a lot of people gathering. We’re just trying to minimize the risk. That’s part of the governor’s orders. We want to keep a safe distance and you cannot do that, you can’t maintain that in that area,” said Harvell.