There are more ways for families to play in Seattleās parks, as we settle into Phase 2.
You can play outdoor tennis or pickleball, shoot basketball hoops, play beach volleyball, eat at a picnic table, reserve a picnic shelter, and use most boat launches.
You can find the details on the City of Seattleās Parkways blog.
Also, the city banned cars and trucks from Golden Gardens Drive within Golden Gardens Park, so walkers and cyclists can use a new wide, safe (if steep) route from Sunset Hill to the beach.
The city plans to post lifeguards at Madison, Matthews, Mount Baker, West Green Lake, and Pritchard swimming beaches. The city originally announced that the lifeguards would start on July 1, but because of climbing infection numbers, the city postponed sending out lifeguards until July 15 or later. Here is the latest news. When the lifegards do come back, there will be new rules to the swimming areas, including not going any deeper than chest height. Details here.
Still closed: playgrounds, spray parks and wading pools. Parking lots at the cityās most popular parks are also still closed.
The rules
While we have more freedom than in previous weeks, the city and state still require people follow rules.
You canāt have more than five people in your group, and you need to keep six feet of space between you and those not in your group.
Plus, bring your masks. You donāt need to wear them while youāre exercising, providing you are more than six feet away from people who arenāt in your group, according to the Washington State coronavirus information page on face mask wearing.
The FAQ on the page says:
āYou also do not need to wear a cloth face covering when you are exercising outdoors and you have plenty of space. Itās a good idea to keep one in your pocket, though, in case you come across other people you canāt stay six feet away from.ā
The rules donāt require kids under 5 to wear masks, though they encourage parents to try to get 3 and 4-year-olds to cover their faces.
Hereās some other ways to play compatible with Phase 2: Teach your child to ride a bike using these four steps, Stay close to home and go on a family bike ride, 9 ideas for livening up your family walks and 19 backyard games for beating boredom.