FILE - A man and his mower trim the grass on soccer fields at Little Rock's Murray Park.

Little Rock will close three city parks this Easter weekend because of covid-19, the Parks and Recreation Department announced Wednesday.

Barton Park, Remmel Park and the pavilion and sand volleyball areas at Murray Park will be closed Friday through Sunday, reopening on Monday. Officials said the parks have had crowds, creating unsafe conditions amid the covid-19 pandemic.

“These parks have been experiencing high levels of traffic and have exceeded a safe capacity,” the department said in a Facebook post.

Traffic at popular parks could increase even more during the holiday weekend, officials added.

In the post, the department encouraged people to use other parks and trails that remain open, while practicing social distancing and visiting another park or returning at a later time if a parking lot is full.