BICESTER Town Council has backed calls from residents to reopen most of the remaining play parks in the town.
The council has worked with company KJ Cleaning and were out in force at the weekend to deep clean parks ready to reopen today, Monday 15 March. It means the council is opening a further 38 parks across the town for the first time since they were closed last March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The move comes after a review of the number of positive COVID-19 cases in Cherwell – councillors have agreed numbers are sufficiently low to allow smaller parks to open.According to the government’s website, the number of cases recorded at March 11, is 39 cases per 100,000 people.
The average area in England had 49.Council leader Cllr Richard Mould said:
“We are delighted to let residents know the rest of the town’s play parks will reopen on Monday following a deep clean over the weekend.
“Many parents and carers have contacted councillors asking for the parks to be reopened, but until now our hands were tied because of concerns about the high infection rate of COVID-19 and limited staff being able to inspect and clean parks regularly.
“The latest figure for positive cases in Cherwell is now sufficiently low enough to allow the rest of the play parks to open. Our priority has always been the safety of residents.
”The council has reminded people to adhere to government social distancing guidance, including keeping at least two metres apart and regular washing hands; and to follow rules on signs at parks for the maximum number of people allowed in a park. If the park is busy people should come back another time.
Last Updated 15 March 2021
