Ahead of the Easter holiday weekend, Fort Worth officials have announced festivities at city parks will not be permitted.
The ban of Easter egg hunts, parties, and group activities at city parks is in efforts to strengthen social distancing and prevent large groups of people, officials say.
In a news release sent out Tuesday, Fort Worth city officials stated in order to discourage gatherings at parks, they are going to close vehicle access to “many popular parks” on Sunday.
In addition, officials say Fort Worth police and code enforcement officers may issue citations in parks to those who do not follow social distancing standards.
Fort Worth officials are asking community members to stay home or limit park visits to short walks or bike rides to keep the parks from becoming overcrowded.
Earlier Tuesday, Tarrant County health officials confirmed five more people have died from COVID-19, bringing the county's total to 18 deaths.
The number has increased as there were only three deaths a week ago, on April 1.
Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja believes the county might see a spike in cases soon.
“Based on all the reports we are seeing, we could very well be about to see a spike in COVID-19 activity in our county,” he said. “Although it is difficult to predict, we must do everything we can to prepare ourselves for what may be ahead. Early indications are that we could be looking at significant numbers of positive cases and many more deaths,” he said.
Taneja agreed that residents should only leave their houses for essential activities.
“I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to follow these directives,” he said.
More on WFAA:
- 'Mr. Dad' offers parents advice on how to juggle it all while the whole family is home
- Holy Week, Easter and Passover services that can be streamed online
- Live COVID-19 updates: Tarrant County reports 5 additional deaths
- Girl Scout collects 1,400 boxes of cookies for busy nurses, doctors at Cook Children’s Hospital
