Mayor: NYC stepping up social distancing enforcement at parks

The mayor announced new levels of enforcement Friday that will begin at a few parks in New York City in order to ensure social distancing guidelines are followed as the warmer weather approaches.

News 12 Staff

May 8, 2020, 8:42 PM

Updated 1,449 days ago

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The mayor announced new levels of enforcement Friday that will begin at a few parks in New York City in order to ensure social distancing guidelines are followed as the warmer weather approaches. 
Mayor Bill de Blasio says that while social distancing is working, there have been issues with large crowds flocking to tight spaces like Domino Park, especially since the weather has gotten warmer. 
He says he is stepping up police enforcement and is putting a limit on the number of people allowed. He also says the city will limit capacity at Hudson River Park piers 45 and 46 in lower Manhattan, as well as Domino Park in Williamsburg. 
While there has been some level of social distancing policing so far, the mayor says there have been very few arrests and summonses given. 
He says these parks have been more crowded than they should have been on recent warmer days. He added that even though people are attempting to social distance, the parks are only so big. 
He says he hopes that limiting the number of people in the park will stop problems before they begin. 
"Domino Park, Williamsburg -- another place where we've had problems, we're going to intensify the enforcement and monitoring there and make sure the numbers are kept small as well... The idea is proactive, early, NYPD and other agencies are there before people show up in numbers, we set the tone from the beginning,” said de Blasio. 
The mayor says police will also be handing out face coverings and if the enforcement works at Domino Park and piers 45 and 46, they’ll look into other parks across the city. 
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