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Lathrop closes park playgrounds, exercise equipment to public use
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Just days after Lathrop Mayor Sonny Dhaliwal made a plea with the public to respect social distancing guidelines in city parks, the City of Lathrop has elected to close many of the features that were of concern for the sake of public health and safety.

According to Dhaliwal, who made the announcement Thursday morning on his Facebook page, the city will be closing children’s play structures, basketball courts, and exercise equipment that are located within all city parks.

Residents are still allowed to access the parks and use other amenities but are asked to keep social distancing separation and not gather in groups larger than what is recommended by healthcare experts.

The announcement came just a day after San Joaquin County announced that it would be closing all of its regional parks to prevent people from gathering in violating of health guidelines. The State of California has gone so far as close beach parking lots to prevent people from gathering after a massive influx of cars over the weekend into Santa Cruz and Marin Counties concerned residents and prompted police to urge people to stay home to prevent the spread of the virus.

On Wednesday, the City of Stockton closed all of its parks, and signs have been appearing on the signs at Manteca Parks announcing that they are closed until further notice due to stay-at-home orders that have been issued. In Manteca, people are allowed only to pass through parks – organized activities of any kind and any sort of gathering were expressly prohibited.

As of Thursday morning, there were 78 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in San Joaquin County, and three people have died as a result of the illness – including at least one Manteca resident. The number of cases continues to rise as San Joaquin Public Health Services release updated daily numbers and testing becomes more available. On Thursday, neighboring Stanislaus County announced drive-thru testing locations for certain people, and drive-thru sites have begun popping up in the Bay Area with dozens of cases being reported this week on the first day of the service in Hayward.

Health officials are encouraging residents that don’t need to leave their homes to stay inside as much as possible, and limit contact with all but necessary individuals – like children or family members. People are also encouraged not to gather in groups, to keep at least six feet from all individuals, to wash hands frequently for at least 20 seconds, and not touch your face.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.