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Photos: Domino Park Installs Social Distancing Circles, Central Park Limits Sheep Meadow Entry
By
John Del Signore
Published May 17, 2020
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Scott Lynch / Gothamist
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By
John Del Signore
Published May 17, 2020
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Saturday's sublime spring weather drew New Yorkers out of their apartments and into city parks, where new coronavirus social distancing rules await. In Domino Park on the East River in Williamsburg, visitors will now find white circles painted on a fake grass lawn that's popular with sunbathers and picnickers.
Photographer Scott Lynch assessed the scene yesterday and deems the circles "genius. Completely solved the problem on that lawn, because it's instantly clear if there's room for you or not, and you can't pretend you didn't realize you were too close. Plus each circle is like a little room, with something different going on."
Over in Central Park, the NYPD began restricting access to Sheep Meadow around 2:15 p.m. According to Lynch, the meadow "was not really all that crowded" when police closed the gates and informed those on the outside they did not have a time frame for when more people might be allowed in. "There was a lot of 'I want to see the manager' energy at the entrances, both from people wanting to get in and from those who wanted to leave 'just for a minute to go the bathroom and come back, don't you have a list or something I can put my name on?'"
The Parks Department did not immediately respond to an inquiry about how many people are being allowed into Sheep Meadow before it reaches capacity.
After leaving the "bummer" at Sheep Meadow, Lynch took some photos of some of the "Open Streets" the de Blasio administration is implementing to give New Yorkers more space to spread out for recreation and exercise during the pandemic. These pics show the car-free scene on Berry Street in Williamsburg, West End Avenue, and Broadway near Madison Square Park. Enjoy them from the electronic screen of your choice from the safe and sterile confines of your home/bunker.
The NYPD says there were no summonses issued for failure to maintain social distance on Saturday, but NY Post photographers observed numerous scofflaws congregating in close proximity outside bars in neighborhoods like the Upper East Side and Greenpoint. “How are you going to drink with a mask on?” one "reveler" rhetorically asked the tabloid.
On Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio promised that police would crack down on drinking and congregating outside bars and restaurants. "If a bunch of people are congregating, that's a gathering. What did I say the other day? The NYPD is going to focus its enforcement on gatherings."
Tagged
COVID-19
coronavirus
sheep meadow
domino park
central park
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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