HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — Holland Mayor Nathan Bocks, who declared a state of emergency for the city last week — in light of the COVID-19 pandemic — announced Tuesday, April 7, 2020, that all pickleball, basketball and tennis courts are closed, as well as playgrounds.
It is impossible to keep equipment disinfected, he said, and in recent days, increased use of the sports courts made it clear to city officials that some visitors were not maintaining recommeneded social distancing during the games.
Mayor Nathan Bocks made the announcement in a video posted online Tuesday.
“We’ve decided to close the tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts,” he said. “For those who were using the courts within the rules, I’m sorry. To the family of five that was looking to play a game of pickleball together, I’m sorry. We would have like to have kept them open.”
He went on to say city officials weighed “the costs and the benefits” of keeping the amenities open and it “just didn’t make sense.
Playgrounds are also closed until further notice, Bocks said, because the equipment is impossible to keep sanitized.
Parks and green spaces remain open, for now, he said encouraging people to get out into the fresh air while maintaining the recommended social distance of six feet from people living outside of one’s immediate household.
