Tulsa City Crews Remove Some Playground Equipment To Prevent Virus Spread

The city of Tulsa is now removing playground equipment so kids can't play on on it and possibly spread the virus.

City officials say there's no practical way to keep the playgrounds virus free - so the city is removing what they can. The parks department started with caution tape to keep children off playground equipment, then put out signs warning about the virus, and now are removing equipment so children can't even be tempted to use it.

At B.C. Franklin Park, the goals on a nearly new basketball court, are coming down - the new goal is to avoid transmission of a virus. The equipment will go into storage until the threat passes.

At Woodward Park, the signs were up, but the swings came down, and families adapted quickly, by having a scavenger hunt finding letters of the alphabet - and making a game out of handwashing.

The City of Tulsa has 140 of what they call "pods" - playsets like this, scattered across the city. At places where the equipment can't easily be removed, it's being wrapped in caution tape, and signs warn of the danger - and there's the chance of enforcement. The mayor's order bans public gatherings, of all kinds. But the parks are still open, while the playgrounds are not.

This is what the city is trying to stop - not people enjoying the outdoors, but social groups being drawn together in the parks.

The gates to tennis courts are chained, and no one can play there, and all the playgrounds are blocked off too.

It will take several days for the city to get around to all of the playgrounds, but remember the parks around all these playgrounds remain open.