The city of Bastrop has closed all public access to public parks citing a shortage of cleaning supplies necessary to disinfect park facilities from possible coronavirus contamination.

On Tuesday night, the Bastrop City Council ratified emergency orders signed and executed by the mayor on March 16 that codified several COVID-19 restrictions and closures. The emergency orders in part required the closure of all public facilities owned by the city that same day.

While the city’s parks may be a welcome respite from sheltering at home, Job said the city doesn’t have the resources to dedicate to keeping them open. There’s no way to regularly disinfect the slides, playgrounds, bathrooms and other surfaces and keep the parks safe from becoming a coronavirus hotbed.

"Supplies are limited as toilet paper, hand sanitizers and soaps are not traveling — our orders are all being rerouted to medical facilities," Job said, later adding that the city’s orders of these supplies are about three weeks delayed. "While that stuff is trickling in, we won’t be able to maintain service at certain things."

The closures include 14 city parks and park facilities: Fisherman’s Park, Bob Bryant Park, the Riverwalk, Ferry Park, the boat ramp at Fisherman’s Park, the canoe launch at Bob Bryant Park, Fireman’s Park, Delgado Park, the Park at Hunter’s Crossing, the little league fields along Hill Street, the Bark Park near Loop 150 and Texas 71, Mayfest Park, Kerr Community Park and Jewell Hodges Park.

The park closures mean that people will be prohibited from walking through the park grounds, although Bastrop Mayor Connie Schroeder said strict enforcement of these rules may be impractical. Bastrop Interim Police Chief Clint Nagy doesn’t have a large enough force to be able to regularly patrol each of the city’s parks and park trails.

"What this order allows for is if there is a group of kids playing basketball, who come together and mix their germs, it allows Nagy and his staff to honk their horn and tell them they need to break it up," Schroeder said. "I don’t think we need to beat people into submission."

Without available park access during the coronavirus outbreak, the city is encouraging residents to find alternate ways to get fresh air and exercise.

"It’s a great time to ride a bike or walk down the street with your kids because there’s not many cars driving," Schroeder said.

The city’s decision to close its parks follows similar actions implemented by the state. Last week, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department closed several state parks and, among the parks that remain open, closed all park headquarters, visitor centers, park stores and camp sites.

Bastrop State Park remains open this week, although park officials closed park cabins on Monday through April 30. Buescher State Park closed to all visitors on March 19 until further notice.

The Lower Colorado River Authority also closed three of its public parks in Bastrop County on Monday: Lake Bastrop North Shore Park, Lake Bastrop South Shore Park and McKinney Roughs Nature Park.