Cities are taking action to close down more public places following Gov. Kim Reynolds’ Monday order.

During her Monday press conference, Reynolds ordered that playgrounds and campgrounds closed.

Lone Tree was ahead of the governor. Mayor Joanne Havel ordered city playgrounds closed Wednesday, April 1.

The school district had closed its playgrounds, and Havel had received calls from a number of residents suggesting the city close its playground.

Havel, with the help of city staff, put up signs, blocked playground equipment with caution tape and put wooden boards on top of basketball hoops. Picnic tables were turned upside down.

“It wasn’t my favorite thing to do,” Havel said but noted the safety of Lone Tree residents was important.

Overall, people were following the rules, she said Tuesday.

“I was impressed no one had torn our signs off,” she said.

Kalona City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh said that city crews are working to put up signs indicating that certain areas are now off limits.

“They’ll be taking down nets and putting up signs on the playground equipment,” Schlabaugh said.

He explained that the governor’s mandate indicates “structures more than areas.”

“That’s playground equipment, ballfields, courts and campgrounds,” he said.

Schlabaugh said that no campers have been utilizing the city campground.

“Some people had expressed interest (in camping), but we held firm that it wasn’t a good time to open,” he said.

The Kalona City Park will still be open for people to walk, and the parking lot will remain open.

Wellman officials have closed down city parks completely.

“City parks are now officially closed,” Wellman City Administrator Kelly Litwiller said at Monday’s city council meeting. “Our public works guys have put barricades at all entrances to the path, and they’ve roped off the tennis courts and basketball courts, as well as down at the ballfields. They are going to rope off the playground and all the shelters.”

Council member Shannon McCain requested that the city also put up some barricades at South Park.

“There were some cars down there and some kids hanging out on the piles of dirt,” McCain said.

Council member Tony Evans asked if the farmers market is also canceled.

“Yeah, I would say at this point,” Litwiller said.

Litwiller said that she had been meeting with county public health and emergency management officials via videoconference three times a week to keep updated on the spread of COVID-19 in Washington County and efforts to meet community needs.

“It would be nice to have more information on people who actually have it and where it’s at, just for public safety, but they really can’t do that I guess,” Evans said.

Litwiller responded, “If it’s in your community, it makes you think even more, but for HIPPA reasons, they’re not able to put out that information. We don’t know who has it, but we have to assume that everyone in the community has the possibility of having it.”

Council member Angela Stutzman asked how the situation would affect Wellman’s citywide garage sales, which usually happen the first weekend in May.

“I would suggest we just postpone it at that time, then we could pick new dates rather than canceling it altogether,” Litwiller said.

Riverside City Clerk Becky LaRoche said the city has closed the parks altogether. She created about 35 bright yellow signs that city crews posted around all of the parks.

In Lone Tree, the council Monday night discussed leaving the city cleanup day on the schedule for May 16. The council also approved closing Devoe Street on June 13 for the Lone Tree Fire and Rescue street dance. Council members noted both events could be changed in the event that COVID-19 restrictions are extended.