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6 | October 7, 2020 | MALIBU SURFSIDE NEWS NEWS
malibusurfsidenews.com
POSTED TO malibusurfsidenews.com
Playgrounds reopen with rules for COVID times
5
DAYS AGO
SCOTT STEEPLETON, Editor
The Rindge Hotel and
general store are back in
business.
After closing down
months ago because of the
pandemic, playgrounds
in Malibu — including
at Trancas Canyon
Park where an Old Westthemed
climbing structure
pays homage to Frederick
Hastings Rindge, a founder
of present-day Malibu
— reopened earlier this
week.
It’s part of the Los Angeles
County Department
of Public Health “Timeline
for Sector Re-openings,”
which details how
and when schools, certain
businesses and playgrounds
can get back to
some sort of normalcy.
The earliest beneficiaries
were nail salons,
which, as of Oct. 1, could
resume indoor operations
at 25 percent capacity.
However, officials stress
that outdoor services
should continue as much
as possible.
In announcing the timeline,
department officials
said they would work with
the Board of Supervisors
to revise the Health Officer
Order to allow the
opening of outside playgrounds
and the school
waiver program for grades
TK-2.
School waiver applications
could be submitted
starting Oct. 5; limited
to 30 schools per week.
Schools would be requited
to follow all re-opening
protocols for infection
control, distancing and
cohorting, that is the imposed
grouping of students
and staff.
Cohorts will be limited
to a dozen students and
two supervising adults in
each classroom — and
they are required to stay
together throughout the
entire day for all activities.
Someone from the Public
Health Department
would visit schools that
re-open.
Outdoor playgrounds
are reopening at the discretion
of the city where
they’re located and Los
Angeles County Parks and
Recreation.
Malibu officials reached
out to the county on Oct.
1, Kristin Riesgo, Malibu’s
community services
deputy director, told Surfside
News that day. Guidelines
and protocols to reopen
playgrounds safely
were being worked out
and Riesgo said the county
urged that playgrounds
remain closed until those
guidelines were released.
That happened the next
day.
Riesgo said upon release,
the city would “put
measures into place that
follow the Department
of Public Health guidelines
and reopen the playgrounds.”
Just before 5 p.m. Oct.
2, the city announced the
playgrounds would reopen
Oct. 5, with the following
restrictions:
• Keep 6 feet of physical
distancing at all
times
• Face coverings are
required at all times
for all visitors 2 and
older
• Limit playground
visit to 30 minutes
• Wash or sanitize
Trancas Canyon Playground, above, was closed for
months because of the pandemic. While it reopened this
week, officials stress that safety protocols, including
physical distancing and face coverings, are required.
At Malibu Bluffs Park, right, a piece of equipment in its
closed state. SCOTT STEEPLETON/SURFSIDE NEWS PHOTOS
hands before and
after each playground
visit
• Eating and drinking
are prohibited
As for reopening outdoor
operations at breweries
and wineries serving a
meal — a plan on which
Third District Supervisor
Sheila Kuehl was among
two supervisors voting no
— public health officials
are consulting with county
counsel on how and when
this can happen.
A decision was expected
soon.
Barbara Ferrer, the
county’s director of public
health, said that comprehensive
protocols for all
sectors that reopen will be
posted online “to ensure
the continued health and
safety of workers and the
community.”
“Businesses are required
to implement the
protocols for infection
control and distancing prior
to reopening to ensure
they are in compliance,
and to avoid citations,
fines and possible closure,”
according to her announcement.
“Businesses
have a duty to protect
employees, customers and
residents from COVID-19
as much as possible and to
follow public health protocols
and directives. It is
important for everyone to
follow the directives and
to do their part every day
to keep everyone as safe
as possible.”