JETTON PARK CLOSED TO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC

April 8. UPDATE 11:30 am. With social distancing succeeding almost everywhere else, Mecklenburg County government has decided to close county parks to vehicular traffic. Parks have been crowded social gathering places since the county-wide stay-at-home order went into effect last month.

County parks in Cornelius include Jetton Park and Ramsey Creek.

NEW: The dog park at Ramsey remains open; pet owners may park their cars in the loop in front of the gates.

ALSO NEW: Town of Cornelius parks will not close to vehicles. A final decision will be made today.

Walk-ins OK

Pedestrians may still enter the parks as well as cyclists.

County officials said this is the last step before fully closing the parks and greenways. Walk-in traffic will be the only way to access a park, which will almost certainly limit crowds.

A week ago, Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris expressed concerns over crowded outdoor spaces, including sandbars and islands on Lake Norman.

The first COVID-19 case in North Carolina was confirmed on March 3, 2020. Less than two weeks later all schools were closed and a state of emergency was declared in Mecklenburg County.

North Carolina has at least 3,300 reported cases of coronavirus, according to the NC Dept. of Health & Human Services. Fifty-four people have died.

Stay at home

The need to limit personal contact to slow the spread of COVID-19 helps ensure that health care is there when and for people who need it.

“Actions we take now will determine how this virus will impact North Carolina in the weeks and months to come,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, MD.

“We need to continue to do everything in our power so that fewer people get sick at the same time, while also surging the capacity of our health care system so those that do need hospital care will have it. Please stay home now to save lives.”