PORT ORCHARD — The city of Port Orchard has closed its public facilities and parks effective Thursday because of staffing issues related to the coronavirus public emergency.

"It's really a matter of I don't have anybody to empty garbage cans and clean bathrooms," said Mayor Rob Putaansuu. "We've got to provide essential services — sewer, water and police protection — and we really kind of have a skeleton crew around here right now."

Putaansuu said he couldn't speak to reasons for the high absenteeism, but the city of Port Orchard is not alone. Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District was reporting a 50% employee absentee rate. Bainbridge parks remain open, but events, facility rentals and use of sports fields are curtailed.

Putaansuu said the city will not effectively be able to keep people out of parks, but he urged residents and visitors to observe social distancing guidelines and respect the closures.

"I don't have the ability to enforce that," he said. "We don't have any plan to enforce that."

Also as of Thursday, customer service counters in Port Orchard City Hall and the Department of Community Development will be closed. People with questions, bills to pay or permits to file are encouraged to do so online or to call for assistance as city offices remain staffed.

"This is uncharted territory," Putaansuu said. "The information we have is changing by the hour. We're doing the best we can to serve our community with essential services."

Bremerton's parks remain open, but the Bremerton Senior Center and Sheridan Park Community Center are closed and all programming, rentals, leagues, activities and permitted park events are canceled. All athletic fields and some bathrooms are closed.

Bremerton parks Director Jeff Elevado said that the city was having trouble with parks in outlying areas as some people were stealing toilet paper from the bathrooms. That led the city to close some bathrooms. Those in larger, more centrally located parks remain open for now.

"At this point, we have not closed playgrounds, but we're asking people to be smart about social distancing," Elevado said.

Elevado discouraged gatherings in the parks of more than a few people either informally, or for parties and barbecues.

"We understand this (going to parks) is the only thing for people to do right now," Elevado said. "We're just asking people to be smart and postpone those things until another time."

Kitsap County and Poulsbo Parks & Recreation likewise have posted closures on their websites.

All county recreational facilities, including Kitsap County Fairgrounds and Events Center, are closed. So are sports fields. There are no rentals of community buildings or picnic shelters.

The city of Poulsbo's parks and recreation programs and facility rentals were suspended on Monday. The recreation center is closed to the public.

Bainbridge Island's parks remain open, including bathrooms, which are seeing a stepped up, three-times-daily cleaning protocol, said Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District Superintendent David Harry.

The park district is not restricting playground use but is posting signs to "use at your own risk," noting playground equipment is not being cleaned and sanitized as part of COVID-19 precautions. Park users are urged to bring their own sanitizing products, Harry said.

"We only have a limited amount of sanitizing supplies, and they're nearly impossible to get right now, so we're encouraging people to bring their own supplies," he said.

Harry, like Putaansuu, said enforcement of a full park closure would be virtually impossible.

"The police department is not interested in tying up our resources running people out of parks," Harry said.

The park department encourages patrons to walk or bike trails, kayak or canoe on the waterfront, go birdwatching or walk their dogs. The dog park at Strawberry Hill Park remains open for use.

Chris Henry reports on education and community news for the Kitsap Sun. Reach her at (360) 792-9219 or christina.henry@kitsapsun.com. Support coverage of local news by signing up today for a digital subscription.