Reopen playgrounds with social distancing, NC lawmakers say. How would that work?

Playgrounds should be allowed to reopen with limited capacity and daily cleanings, state lawmakers proposed on Thursday.

The latest in a series of reopening bills from Republican lawmakers would pair playgrounds with a reopening of amusement parks and arcades. The parks and arcades are already in a separate bill that passed the legislature earlier this week and is awaiting action from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

“Children shouldn’t be locked in their homes with a mask on, they should be out playing on a playground,” said Sen. Warren Daniel, a Burke County Republican. “That’s probably the healthiest place they could be.”

But the amusement park bill already on Cooper’s desk has a provision the governor has already voiced opposition to: A requirement that he seek support from Council of State members — currently majority-Republican — if he closes down businesses again.

That provision isn’t in the new version of House Bill 795, which passed the Senate Judiciary Committee minutes after it was introduced on Thursday. The committee meeting agenda listed it as an unexciting bill titled “HMMWV/Upfitter.”

The full Senate then passed the bill in a vote that split largely along party lines. The House followed with a vote to send the bill to Cooper, but then reconsidered and opted not to accept the bill in its current form. State lawmakers later ended what was expected to be their last day of work on legislation until September without an agreement on the new bill.

The bill says playground visitors should be “encouraged” to wear masks, and playground equipment should be “used in a manner to ensure social distancing of at least six feet.” That prompted Sen. Natasha Marcus, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, to question “the absurdity of expecting children on a playground are going to stay 6 feet apart.”

Asked how distancing could work, a legislative staffer told senators that playground operators might block off half the swings on a swing set. Sen. Jeff Jackson, a Charlotte Democrat, was still befuddled about other types of playground equipment.

“I’ve spent a lot of time on playgrounds the last few years,” said Jackson, who has several kids. “The centerpiece is usually a play set. Could you allow those types of play sets to remain open?”

No one in the room had an answer, nor was anyone sure whether outdoor playgrounds actually have a posted fire capacity that would be used to determine a total 50% capacity.

Jackson questioned whether Republicans actually expect the bill would become law. “It’s a political gesture,” he said. “This is just an attempt to give some consultants more material for mail, and that’s disappointing.”

But Sen. Harry Brown, a Jacksonville Republican, said he thinks the bill would work to safely bring back playgrounds, amusement parks and arcades.

“I would hope that these establishments have heard loud and clear that they’re required to take all the precautions they can take to reopen,” Brown said. “These people understand the importance of that and will take due diligence to do it the right way.”

For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Domecast politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it on Megaphone, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.

This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 6:06 PM with the headline "Reopen playgrounds with social distancing, NC lawmakers say. How would that work?."