New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced Wednesday during a press conference that he is closing the playgrounds in New York City.
Cuomo has repeatedly warned against people gathering in parks, failing to follow strict social distancing rules, and participating in close contact sports like basketball.
“I’ve said this one hundred different ways; the compliance is still not where it should be,” Cuomo said, explaining his decision.
Cuomo said that he had warned New Yorkers for weeks to stop the density and basketball games at area playgrounds and admitted that Mayor Bill DeBlasio failed to enforce social distancing guidelines.
“Young people must get this message, and they still have not got this message,” Cuomo said, adding, “It’s still a problem.”
Cuomo said he would leave open spaces in the parks open, provided that New Yorkers continued to practice social distancing.