![Playgrounds, the dog park and ball fields had re-opened last month in South Euclid, but now they’ll be closed again. [txking / Shutterstock]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/eb98ea2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2505x1670+0+0/resize/840x560!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F7%2F20%2FSouth%20Euclid%20playgrounds%20re-close.jpg)
Nursing homes and sports leagues are reopening even as COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Ohio. But the pandemic’s persistence has one city back in shut-down mode.
South Euclid had re-opened playgrounds and the city-owned dog park, but as of Monday they’re closed again, along with organized league play on the ball fields.
The closures are due to a spike in COVID-19 cases there, said Keith Benjamin, the city’s community service director.
“South Euclid and our zip code remains a hot spot in Cuyahoga County, and this is one of the many difficult and disappointing decisions we are having to make in response to this pandemic," Benjamin said.
Benjamin said, though, that he would like families to take advantage of park services that are still open.
“We encourage families to go out and walk in the park, to use the park for their own personal recreation," he said.
Health experts say being outside is relatively safe, as long as people practice social distancing.
South Euclid makes decisions regarding the pandemic after consulting with public health officials about how to keep residents safe and healthy, he said.
