The city of Hartford, Conn., is suspending the use of its outdoor athletic fields for the remainder of the fall season, as local coronavirus cases climb, the mayor’s office announced Thursday.
As reported by the Hartford Courant, leagues and organizations will not be able to reserve the fields beyond Oct. 12, the city said.
A lack of compliance with virus-mitigation protocols was one reason given for the shutdown.
“We have seen significant use of our outdoor athletic fields, and unfortunately, we’ve also seen too little adherence to coronavirus protocols, including mask wearing and social distancing,” mayor Luke Bronin said. “It’s not a decision we take lightly, but to help try to limit the spread of the virus in our community, we will be suspending the use of athletic fields and canceling reservations after this Monday.
“Our Health Department feels this is a necessary step, and I support their recommendation.”
Over the past two weeks, Hartford has seen an average of 11.9 new daily cases per 100,000 people, according to state data.
The suspension does not include school-sponsored athletics or Hartford games because those activities have coronavirus restrictions that are enforced, the mayor’s office said.
![Astroturf installation at Roxana High School. [Image courtesy of YouTube]](https://img.athleticbusiness.com/files/base/abmedia/all/image/2021/09/ab.spot921_feat.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop&h=167&w=250)
