Kinston-Lenoir County Parks and Recreation closing all facilities

Kinston-Lenoir County Parks and Recreation will close its facilities on Monday, March 16 at noon until further notice. Posted on the Parks and Recreation’s Facebook page, Director Corey Povar called for the closures to keep people from gathering in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19.

“We want to do what we can to keep everyone safe,” said Povar. This comes a day after Governor Roy Cooper closed North Carolina Public School Systems.

This will include all of Kinston-Lenoir County Parks and Recreation facilities, including the Planetarium and Neuseway Nature Center.

“Obviously, this is an unprecedented territory that we’re in and we are aware that other public agencies are taking corrective steps to limit direct contact,” said City Manager Tony Sears.

The governor has limited crowds to that of 100 people, the CDC recommends crowds no larger than 50 to help prevent infection.

“The city of Kinston wants to do its part ensuring that citizens and participants are safe,” said Sears.

With updates from different health organizations changing hourly, it has been hard for decisions to be made about when to close, for how long, and when to reopen.

“When we close community and school programs or anything dealing with the youth it will have an impact on the community,” said Mayor Don Hardy. “This is not the norm for them, not the norm for any of us.”