The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation will close all botanic gardens, lakes, and local, community and regional parks to the public on Sunday, May 10, in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. An anticipated influx of visitors to parks on the holiday would make it impossible for the public to adhere to the County’s “Safer at Home” Order, which requires six feet of physical distance and prohibits group gatherings.

“Mother’s Day is one of our busiest days of the year, which means physical distancing would be very difficult. To ensure the health and safety of our park guests, team members, and community, we will close all L.A. County Parks locations on Sunday, May 10,” said Norma E. García, Acting Director of L.A. County Parks.

Open and free for the public is L.A. County Parks “Parks From Home” a virtual recreation center that launched on April 22, to provide free access to fitness and instructional classes for the public to enjoy from home during the COVID-19 crisis. The free online programming includes videos of L.A. County Parks staff teaching recreation, sports, arts, and specialty courses, plus virtual tours of trails, gardens, and popular attractions throughout Los Angeles County.

“While you’re home on this Mother’s Day, we invite you to try a new tradition of enjoying ‘Parks From Home’. You can learn how to create a fun art project, participate in a recreation class or sports clinic with your family, and virtually tour our beautiful Los Angeles County landscapes,” added Norma E. García.

“Parks from Home” is available on the L.A. County Parks website. New video content will be added regularly and announced via social media.

Parks From Home webpage: http://parks.lacounty.gov/virtual
L.A. County Parks continues to assess daily operations and implement precautionary measures in response to COVID-19, working closely with County leaders and the Department of Public Health. Currently, play and sports amenities, indoor facilities, nature centers, golf courses, sports and recreation programs, and multi-use trails are closed to the public. Local and regional parks remain open, with the exception of May 10, as outdoor-only facilities with social distancing required and group gatherings of any size prohibited.

For more information on closures and changes in response to COVID-19, visit the L.A. County Parks website at https://parks.lacounty.gov/covid-19.

About LA County Parks and Recreation
The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation manages 183 parks and operates a network of 9 regional parks, 38 neighborhood parks, 20 community parks, 15 wildlife sanctuaries, 8 nature centers, 41 public swimming pools, more than 200 miles of multi-use trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding, and the largest municipal golf system in the nation, consisting of 20 golf courses. The department also maintains four botanical centers: The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, the South Coast Botanic Garden, Descanso Gardens, and Virginia Robinson Gardens. The department also owns and operates the iconic Hollywood Bowl and John Anson Ford Amphitheatre which are jointly managed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, providing County residents with valuable entertainment and cultural resources.