How Park and Recreation Leaders are Addressing Coronavirus — Episode 61

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has made its way to the U.S.
and the number of people infected continues to rise, with at
least 539 confirmed cases in the U.S. at the time of this
recording (at the time this episode was published, numbers had
been recalculated to 432 confirmed cases in the U.S., according
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). As the
gatekeepers of many of our nation’s public gathering spaces, park
and recreation professionals are seeking answers to key questions
as they prepare strategies around response and prevention in the
coming days and weeks — especially in communities that are
starting to document confirmed cases.


To help answer some of these questions, on today’s episode we’re
joined by three park and recreation leaders from across the
country who are actively addressing issues related to
coronavirus:


Jesús Aguirre, Superintendent of Seattle Parks and Recreation
and NRPA board member

Brian Zimmerman, CEO of Cleveland Metroparks

Adriane Clutter, Division Chief



Each of the states where these three live and work are
experiencing confirmed or potential cases of COVID-19. As of this
recording, Washington State had 136 confirmed cases, the D.C.,
Maryland and Virginia region had nine confirmed cases, and in
Ohio, there are four potential cases being investigated (three of
those cases have been confirmed at the time of publishing this
episode).


On this episode, we chat about:


The impact of COVID-19 so far in each of their communities

How they are handling communications to community members and
dealing with misinformation and stigma surrounding this disease

How they are collaborating with state and local health
officials as well as other nearby park and recreation departments

Preparations for the financial implications of COVID-19

Actions their agencies are taking to ensure they have proper
staff coverage while keeping staff as safe as possible

The importance of creating talking points for staff to ensure
everyone is on the same page when communicating with the public



Tune in to the episode below to hear our full conversation on how
these three leaders are ensuring their communities stay healthy,
well-informed and safe.


Resources discussed in this episode:


Montgomery County, Maryland, Department of Health and Human
Services: Information from Dr. Travis Gayles on how to protect
yourself and others from COVID-19

Parkways blog post with information about the impacts of
COVID-19 on Seattle Parks and Recreation



Other helpful resources:


CDC’s webpage for the coronavirus outbreak

Guidance for schools, which has good information that is
adaptable for park and recreation agencies  

Personal safety recommendations from the National Association
of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)

Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)
resources on coronavirus