Park and recreation professionals have been challenged with a situation unlike many of us have ever witnessed with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. And, as the community heroes they are, they are stepping up and continuing to support their communities during this time — whether it be in the form of continuing to provide access to parks and open space, or, as is the case with a third of park and recreation agencies across the nation, serving meals to vulnerable youth and adults, opening their facilities to serve as emergency shelters or providing childcare for essential staff.
In March 2020, NRPA began conducting weekly Parks Snapshot surveys to learn how park and recreation leaders from across the country are confronting the COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue to provide weekly data from the NRPA Parks Snapshot survey, as state and local guidance and ordinances regarding COVID-19 continue to change rapidly.