Despite warnings about the need for social distancing during the coronavirus-COVID19 outbreak, basketball games and rugby matches have continued to be a common sight at parks and playgrounds in the city of Rochester.

These gatherings prompted Mayor Lovely Warren to announce the closure of all city playgrounds, outdoor fitness equipment and athletic fields on Friday afternoon, including all basketball and tennis courts.

"I'm very concerned at what I'm seeing," Mayor Warren said during a press briefing. "I understand that many people, young and old, think that they won’t get this virus, or they won’t get seriously sick. Simply put, if you think you can’t get sick, that you can’t die from this virus, you are wrong."

The mayor said her office has been inundated with calls from concerned citizens about people participating in contact sports or using exercise equipment and playground equipment that hasn't been sanitized.

City crews have already begun removing equipment, padlocking some areas and removing basketball hoops.

Warren said that she hoped this step would encourage people to heed the warnings that public health officials have been sharing for weeks about how dangerous the virus is and how rapidly it is spreading.

"We don't want to have a heavy hand in enforcing this. We don't want to put police or security officers out to ensure these gatherings stop happening," Warren said.

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But she cautioned that if people continue to ignore the guidance, that might change.

"if the numbers continue to rise and we see that people are not complying, we will take other measures to keep people safe," she said.

She encouraged people to continue to enjoy the outdoors, including city parks, but to engage in solitary exercise rather than group gatherings in public spaces. Running, hiking, walking dogs and other activities can continue as long as people practice social distancing and avoid touching surfaces where the virus may be lurking.

Warren said she understands how difficult it is to keep kids entertained and how hard it is to be cooped up at home. But she worried that too many people were not taking the situation seriously, and said that their behavior would put others in the community at risk.

"This is not a game, people. We are not saying this to scare you, we are saying it because we love you. We need you to take it very very seriously," Warren said. "We

have to make better choices and we can only be safe as we allow each other to be."

Sean Lahman is a watchdog reporter for the Democrat & Chronicle, part of the USA Today Network. Contact him at slahman@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @seanlahman.