For the first time in months, children across the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo will be allowed to use playgrounds on Friday.
The cities, along with the Waterloo Region District School Board, all announced they would be opening playgrounds on Friday.
The playgrounds have been gathering dust since March 20 when they were closed as a response to the coronavirus pandemic.
On Monday, the province announced that playgrounds could open as it entered Stage 3 of the second phase of its recovery plan.
The Waterloo Region District School Board says playgrounds across the region will open Friday.
It says staff will be removing signs from the playgrounds over the next few days that previously announced the closure.
It is warning parents that playgrounds will not be cleaned or sanitized and as such should practice good hand hygiene and wash or sanitize their hands before and after using the playground.
With 65 playgrounds opening in Cambridge, the city is warning parents that the equipment will not be monitored and families will be using it at their own risk.
“I know it has not been easy for little ones to see the closed-off playgrounds over the last months,” Cambridge Mayor Kathryn McGarry stated.
“However, it’s important that we don’t end up taking steps backward. I urge parents to keep safety top of mind and use a common-sense approach when at the playgrounds with their children.”
Numerous playground will also be available in Kitchener on Friday.
The city is also reminding parents to bring wipes and to maintain physical distancing from people outside their social circle while at parks.
The city will also open another splash pad at Doon Pioneer Park Community Centre on Friday.
The updated splash pad features a new spray tunnel, two O-shaped water tunnels as well as ground-level features such as a misty mountain and an arched water stream feature. In the evening, the new splash pad also has LED lighting to highlight the soaring spiral design.
This will be the seventh splash pad to open in the city this summer, all of which have limited capacity and hours.
In Waterloo, the city also announced it will open its museum, which is located in Conestoga Mall, on July 28.
Its cemetery tours will also get underway on Thursday evening with four options available for the two different guided tours.
The Township of Woolwich has announced it will also open its playgrounds on Friday. The other three townships have yet to announce their plans.