Managers at one New York City park have painted white circles on the grass in a bid to enforce social distancing amid the coronavirus pand...
Managers at one New York City park have painted white circles on the grass in a bid to enforce social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.
On Friday, sun-seekers arrived at Domino Park in Brooklyn to find that they were unable to lay out where ever they wanted.
Instead, they were expected to stay inside the large circles - dubbed human parking spots - which were sprayed six feet apart from one another.
Dubbed 'human parking spots', locals are expected to stay inside the circles at all times in an attempt to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
The creation comes after shocking photos showed many Big Apple residents ignoring social distancing requirements in recent weeks as they packed into parks to enjoy the springtime weather.
With temperatures rising and 'quarantine fatigue' kicking in, medical experts fear there may be an uptick in COVID-19 cases as people head outdoors more frequently.
Officials are now trying to invent new ways to implement crowd control to stop potential outbreaks.
Managers at Domino Park in Brooklyn have painted white circles on the grass in a bid to enforce social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic
Dubbed 'human parking spots', locals are expecting to stay inside the circles at all times in an attempt to mitigate the spread of COVID-19
On Saturday, the white circles appeared to be successfully keeping park goers apart from one another
The large circles can accommodate between four and five people
A picture taken at Domino Park on May 3 - prior to the creation of the social distancing circles - shows less space between groups
On Saturday, the white circles appeared to be successfully keeping park goers apart from one another.
Some had entire circles to themselves as they exercised, read books and soaked up the sun,
Meanwhile, small groups of people from the same household were able to share circles together. The large circles can accommodate between four and five people.
While COVID-19 hospitalizations are down in New York City, the metropolis still remains the US epicenter of the virus.
As of Saturday evening, there are upwards of 189,000 cases of COVID-19 in the Big Apple, and more than 15,000 confirmed deaths.
Locals soaked up the sun at Domino Park in Brooklyn on Saturday. The historic park overlooks Manhattan
Some had entire circles to themselves as they exercised, while small groups of people from the same household were able to share circles together
The new normal? Officials are now trying to invent new ways to implement crowd control to stop potential outbreaks of COVID 19
The creations of the white rings at Domino Park come after , Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the NYPD will no longer target small groups or people who fail to wear protective face masks in public, and will instead focus on breaking up large gatherings.
New York City Police have been widely criticized for their harsh social distancing enforcement that has resulted in violent confrontations with members of the public.
Videos have circulated on social media showing scuffles between officers and citizens who ignored rules.
Most recently, video footage captured the moment a woman with a young child was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed as police removed her from a subway station for not wearing a face covering on Wednesday.
De Blasio said police officers will now offer masks to people whose faces are uncovered.
Some political leaders in the city had urged the mayor to leave most social distancing enforcement to other city departments, saying sending police officers to do the work would lead to confrontations.
Videos have gone viral showing NYPD officers arresting black men for violating social distancing guidelines. Of the 40 arrests made in Brooklyn since mid-March for the violation, 35 of those have been black residents
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