Play spaces are protecting against the coronavirus by using hospital-grade cleaning equipment and taking kids' temperatures
- As the coronavirus continues to spread worldwide, and within the US, centers that offer classes for children are taking extra precautions to sanitize their facilities and equipment.
- In general, play spaces are "Petri plates" for infection, since children tend to not wash their hands thoroughly and may not always cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze.
- Community centers and play spaces have hired additional janitorial staff, are using hospital-grade cleaning equipment, and are taking kids' temperatures.
- Despite such efforts, play spaces in areas affected by the coronavirus say they have seen a significant drop in attendance.
Before the coronavirus outbreak, the Play Place in Westchester County, New York was abuzz every morning. Neighborhood children would participate in music and sports classes and play in the indoor jungle gym.
But as the coronavirus has spread across the US, and within Westchester County specifically, attendance has dropped significantly at the Play Place.
On an average morning, about 20 children would come through the Play Place's doors. On Monday morning, there were two, Anthony Ma, general manager, told Business Insider. Overall, he said, attendance has dropped by more than 50% over the past few weeks.
"It's very quiet in here," Ma said.
The same is true at other play spaces located in communities where there have been clusters of coronavirus cases. But no matter the number of infections, community centers and children's gyms everywhere are adhering to sanitizing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, and in many cases, are taking additional precautions to clean their facilities, and keep sick children out.
Play spaces are being extra cautious amid the coronavirus outbreak
At the Play Place, for example, the staff is required to thoroughly wash their hands every hour, disinfect equipment after every class, and clean the facility every two hours. They're also taking children's temperatures at the door, using an infrared thermometer. Children who have fevers will be sent home.
Only a handful of children have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus, and they are less likely than adults to die from it. Still, children often touch their faces, don't cover their mouths when they cough and are less inclined to wash their hands well, which can lead to the spread of infection. Because of that, places where children congregate are "essentially Petri plates," Jason Tetro, a microbiologist, told Global News in 2018.
New York has declared a state of emergency in response to the coronavirus outbreak
The coronavirus, which causes a disease called COVID-19, has infected more than 11,000 people and nearly 3,900 people have died from it. As of Sunday, there were 105 coronavirus cases in New York state, and 82 of them were in Westchester. That prompted Governor Andrew Cuomo to declare a state of emergency in New York.
While parents may feel hesitant about bringing their children to public spaces, health officials and medical experts haven't advised against it. They're just encouraging people to be vigilant about hand washing and cleaning surfaces.
"The main thing we emphasize is hand hygiene," said Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
That's the case at Toddle Tunes, a music school for kids, in Westwood, a neighborhood in Los Angeles.
There have been 14 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Los Angeles and California has declared a state of emergency in response to the outbreak.
A music center in Los Angeles is only allowing parents and caregivers to accompany children
Lisa Mueller, co-founder of Toddle Tunes, said the facility is ramping up its sanitizing efforts by rotating toys between classes and cleaning the facility after each session. Toddle Tunes is only permitting one parent or caregiver to accompany a child. Visitors who have traveled by airplane or other mass transit aren't allowed into the facility.
Sick children must be symptom-free for a week before participating in classes at Toddle Tunes. Before the coronavirus outbreak, the requirement was five days.
"They can't even come in with sniffles," Mueller said. "They can't come with their runny nose, even if it's from teething."
Mueller said she hasn't noticed a decline in attendance and that parents seem less concerned by the coronavirus than they were about the outbreak of H1N1 flu in 2009 - so far.
"I know that it's helping," Mueller said of the business' strict cleaning and illness policies, noting that in the past, customers sometimes "criticized" her for being too cautious. But now, those same people say they appreciate her vigilant efforts.
Many play spaces and children's gyms are collaborating with the CDC and local health departments
Many businesses have conferred with the Centers for Disease Control and local health departments to develop appropriate and effective hygiene practices.
At the Marlene Meyerson Jewish Community Center in Manhattan, the staff is frequently cleaning heavily-used surfaces, including doorknobs and handrails. It has set up more hand-sanitizer stations and uses hospital-grade cleaning equipment, Rabbi Joy Levitt, executive director, said in an email to families earlier this month.
FunFit Kids, a play space on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, is using an industrial steamer to clean mats, ball pits, and other equipment, and has hired additional custodial staff, the organization said in an email.
For some families though, no amount of precautions will ease their concerns. Ma said that many families have canceled birthday parties and have dropped out of classes.
"We're just trying to do our best here," he said, "and let parents know we're staying clean and fun."
- Read more:
- 13 tips for protecting your child against the coronavirus, according to a pediatrician
- New York families under coronavirus quarantine worry isolation measures aren't strict enough: 'If there are no answers, people make their own decisions'
- No children under 10 appear to have died from the coronavirus, even though kids have been infected
- How to talk to your kids about the coronavirus, even if you're feeling anxious