Earlier this year when cities and borders were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many families were confined at home due to the lockdown. With the lockdown, there were strict lockdowns on commercial and public spaces. This included playgrounds that are commercially operated and community playgrounds.
During the lockdown and the months leading to the restrictions easing up, many have wondered how the world have changed and many questions if playgrounds are still viable in the post-pandemic. If you are among those who wonder if playgrounds will still be around after this pandemic, here are reasons why playgrounds will still persist in the future.
20th Century Pandemic – Influenza
The span of the years 1918 and 1920 saw the pandemic of the Spanish Influenza that swept across the west and Asia – Pacific. During that time, playgrounds were closed as communities were gated shut in the hopes of containing the infection. As the pandemic subsided, life slowly returned to normal and in just a couple of years, playgrounds were buzzing with laughter and play once again.
Children Needs Outdoor and Activities
For children and their formative years, physical activity in the form of sports, play and outdoor experiences are vital factors in their holistic growth. For the children who have experienced the lockdown, health and mental experts stated that parents needed to pay attention to their children’s emotional and mental well-being due to them being deprived of physical activities and with the feeling of being confined – where they certainly miss their time outdoors and the fun of playgrounds.
Playgrounds are more than just a place to play, as playgrounds have proven to be grounds where children can hone their social skills and as an outlet to re-energize and refocus – which are essential for their emotional and mental development.
This too, Will Pass
As we are nearing the end of 2020, we are all hoping that 2021 will be a much safer place for all where the pandemic is truly over and life gets back to normal. By then, hopefully both commercial playgrounds and community playgrounds will be active with children playing again. But by 2021, let’s not drop our guard and still practice social distancing and the precautions during the pandemic.
Health will still be the priority as we greet the new year and in the coming months, we are hoping that the pandemic will truly subside.
Times have been tough this year but 2021 is looking to be a bounce back year for playground and the active lifestyle.
iREC is a world-class commercial playground and fitness manufacturer. Our factory-direct equipment are easy to clean, compatible with commercial cleaning solutions and we can re-outfit your playgrounds with new and clean play equipment. Contact us today: Call us at +63 047 250 2779 / +63 047 251 3139 or email sales@irec.ph to get in touch with our sales team.