The majority of playgrounds within many Rio Grande Valley (RGV), TX city parks have been closed since around March 2020. While well-intentioned, there's been no communication regarding parameters required to re-open our playgrounds for children to play. [Chart of open vs. closed city playgrounds across the State of Texas for reference.]

The goal of this petition is to prompt local RGV city and county-level officials to re-open playgrounds. The alternative, acceptable result would be to clearly communicate what benchmarks we can expect as communities to allow for playground re-openings. 

• Many Texas cities never closed playgrounds or have already re-opened given the lack of evidence supporting playgrounds are a source of virus-spread. “There is no science that indicates a playground or overnight camping is more dangerous than hiking or going to the beach,” said Dr. Monica Gandhi, medical professor of infectious diseases at the University of California-San Francisco. “Outdoors is much more safe than indoors and we should be encouraging activities and exercise during this difficult time as we get to the final stretch of the pandemic waiting for vaccines. Moreover, surface transmission is not a factor in spread. This is a respiratory virus.”
• There are discrepancies among RGV cities as to which cities are allowed to have playgrounds opened & this is confusing and contradicting to the narrative that playgrounds are "unsafe." [See chart]
• Not every family has access to a safe neighborhood, personal playground equipment, or backyard to play in. While parks are open, the utilization rate has dropped since playgrounds are not available. 
• We believe that issues such as lack of access to playgrounds are further exacerbating the challenges children face in this region such as childhood obesity and other socioeconomic disadvantages that prevent them from using indoor, commercial facilities for play that are proved to be less safe.
• “Playgrounds are not optional, they are essential. Play is how children develop executive function, cognitive abilities and gross motor skills. Playgrounds are vital urban infrastructure, particularly for those who live without equitable access to outdoor space. The need for structured places to play outside is especially important now, when children are stuck at home without in-person school, team sports or physical education. Not only do swings and slides in playgrounds let kids get the exercise they need for healthy sleep patterns, but outside play is also critical in helping kids settle down for online learning.”
• Guidelines such as mask-wearing would still be required and parents would be responsible for assisting children with distancing and hand-sanitization. City parks may also place an occupancy limit and hand-sanitizing stations. The discretion of parents, as in many other locations (playground or non) is something that we face in our decision-making process and the same applies to playground use.

This petition does not, in any way, make light of the seriousness of the pandemic. We acknowledge that the spread of this virus in a playground setting is not 100% preventable and realize that many city decisions are to avoid liability and community spread. However, the consequences of not re-opening are very serious and will have long-term effects on children's mental and physical well-being in the RGV communities. Thank you for joining your voice to address this important issue. 

-----------------------------------------------

OPEN City Playgrounds Parks in Texas:

*RGV: Brownsville, South Padre Island, Weslaco, Donna, Laguna Vista, Edinburg, McAllen

San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Baytown, Galveston, Beaumont, Kingsville, Del Rio, Uvalde, Victoria, Dallas, Frisco, El Paso, Alpine, Plano, Ft Worth, Denton, Waco, Abilene, Pearland, Pasadena, Sugarland, The Woodlands, McKinney, Southlake, Grapevine, Tyler, Keller, Richardson, Hays County, Midland, Odessa, Lubbock, Kerrville, Beeville, Pflugerville, San Marcos, Round Rock, Temple, Boerne, Fredericksburg, San Angelo, Wichita Falls, Longview 

------------------------------------------------

CLOSED City Playgrounds Parks in Texas:

*RGV: Harlingen, San Benito, Mission, Pharr, Los Fresnos, Cameron County, Port Isabel, La Feria, Raymondville, Mercedes, Rio Hondo, Combes, La Joya, Rio Grande City, Progreso, Laredo*

Austin, Houston

[Data verified with City Reps / Parks & Rec offices as of 1.11.21]

-------

Only approx. 5% of the 90% of open playgrounds in TX bother to disinfect because it is deemed unnecessary and not a good use of funding.  

"COVID-19 spreads less commonly through contact with contaminated surfaces" https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-covid-spreads.html

-------Here are what the experts are saying----

"Easing restrictions in outdoor spaces (such as playgrounds and parks), while emphasizing the importance of non-pharmaceutical interventions such as masking, ventilation, and social distancing indoors might have been more effective," he said. "I think we would have gotten more buy-in and perhaps had greater adherence from the population."

David Aronoff, MD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville - LINK

-------------------------
“The good news is that outdoor activities are generally considered to be safer than indoor ones, and surface transmission is “not thought to be the main way the virus spreads,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There have been more than 60,000 papers published related to covid-19, and playgrounds have not been identified as a significant source of transmission” 

- Stefan Baral, an associate professor in the epidemiology department at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health LINK

-------------------------

“It is, however, now well known that COVID transmission is far more efficient indoors than it is outdoors. Moreover, surface transmission in outdoor settings has been rarely, if ever, documented. Finally, many European countries, which never closed playgrounds, have not established playgrounds as a significant source of transmission. Families with small children across the United States are struggling without access to this valuable community resource. Families in more economically marginalized communities, in particular, are struggling because they are less likely to have access to either private backyards or membership-based private green spaces.” LINK

“Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has come under heavy criticism for the closure of children’s playgrounds when the administration has repeatedly said being outdoors is safer than being indoors and there is little evidence of virus spread on playground structures.” LINK