Playgrounds

"They lived a long good life, and they have a nice patina to them, and they're gonna retire in their current state, no botox, no fillers, no fresh coat of paint."

Parks spokesperson Crystal Howard told Gothamist that they will not be permanently removed from the city's landscape, just relocated from playgrounds undergoing construction.

The long-awaited announcement, just ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, comes after the mayor was criticized for first closing the beaches to the public, then only allowing walking or passive recreation.

"We want to give [parents] this relief, we're gonna start with playgrounds for younger kids, and sometime soon we can go father in terms of our parks and all the athletic facilities they have."

"If they lock these gates, we will cut them open again tomorrow, because we serve the people. Who do you serve, Mr. Mayor?"

The Parks Department announced on Monday that all dog runs and dog parks throughout the city will be closed as part of the city's efforts to maintain social distancing in public spaces.

"We're going to close down city playgrounds and leave open spaces available."

"It's painful, but unless absolutely necessary, we have to spend the next week or two indoors" Williams said. "This is what's worked across the world."

De Blasio reiterated that the city would wait until Saturday before deciding whether to shut down playgrounds, but would not close the parks.

Mayor de Blasio said today that he thought people were following the new guidelines, but it doesn't appear that way at the park outside of his front door.

"Outdoor recreation is a solitary recreational exercise," Cuomo said. "It's running, hiking. It's not playing basketball with five other people."

Of the five boroughs, Brooklyn is the most underserved, with eight NYC Parks playgrounds for every 10,000 children under 10.