‘I am having so much fun!’ Kids and parents rejoice with playgrounds reopening

“It feels glorious, I’m so excited to be here,” said Leanne DeLong as her kids played in the sand.

It’s been well over three months since playgrounds have been open in Saskatchewan.

And now that it’s getting hotter outside, families are taking advantage of an opportunity they took for granted.

“We are both pretty excited. We have been waiting to do this all winter, and then we thought we were going to have to set up a playground in the backyard,” said Erin Jones as her son waited eagerly to go on the swings.

“This is great, much healthier than trying to find things to do while being stuck at home.”

Today is a day that many families have looked forward to for a very long time, and it’s just the latest step in Saskatchewan’s reopening effort.

Prior to Monday, there had not been any date set when playgrounds or beaches would open. That left many families in the dark with a lot of questions about when their kids could go down a slide, or go for a swing on a swingset.

When asked how it feels to ‘do stuff again,’ parents and kids alike had very similar responses.

“It’s fantastic to get our kids running around again, it makes me happy to see them with a smile on their faces again,” said Sasha Thompson.

“I’m having SO much fun,” said Alexa as her dad, Cordell, watched on. ” The swings, the slides, it’s fun.”

Crews throughout the city have very busy working on removing tape and signs at more than 340 playgrounds in the city.

New signs will be put up to remind people of chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab’s recommendations.

People are being advised to continue practicing social distancing and staying two metres apart, as well as bringing hand sanitizer with them, and washing their hands before and after going to a playground or beach.

Despite the continued health measures, playgrounds and beaches opening throughout the province are being looked at as something to do after months of being cooped up.

“I find this to be quite a relief,” said Shayna Playford.

“It’s nice to be able to do something other than walk around the river.”