Sports fields get spring breather as Londoners stay away
The city's trails, however, are seeing more people than usual as more families get outside
London's sports fields will be the unexpected beneficiaries of physical distancing measures brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fields usually open May 4, but some sports teams or other groups use them earlier if the weather is nice.
This year, however, all activity on the fields is prohibited while Londoners try to flatten the curve along with the rest of the country. The city maintains dozens of soccer fields and baseball diamonds, as well as several football fields and cricket pitches.
"I think they're going to get a little bit of extra growth. We're going to start maintaining them to a minimum level to keep them in good shape," said Scott Stafford, the city's manager of parks and recreation.
Just as air pollution has been reduced in some places because of COVID-19 restrictions, the city's fields will benefit from a reprieve from humans.
The fields are not sprayed for weeds but they are maintained and irrigated, and that minimum maintenance will help keep the grass healthy, Stafford said.
But while sports fields get a reprieve, walking and hiking trails have seen more traffic than usual.
That's because families, left without their usual activities have been getting outside more.
The city has seen an uptick of traffic on the trails and has had to put up extra signs to remind people to keep a safe physical distance between themselves and others, Stafford said.
Officials are also reminding people not to bring their household garbage to bins placed in city parks.