5 Popular Montreal Parks Have Closed Access To Their Parking Lots

To "encourage the maintenance of the rules of physical distance in public places."

With the coming of spring and the warm temperatures that have taken hold of the province this weekend, the temptation to see loved ones and go outside and get some fresh air seems to be a real temptation. In order to ensure social distancing in its public spaces, the City of Montreal has just announced the closure of parking lots in several large parks in the area.

The news was revealed in a press release Saturday, May 2, at the end of the day.

The important frequentation of certain parks on this sunny day pushed the authorities to implement these measures.

"The City must take additional measures. On this sunny Saturday, certain parks in the city were heavily frequented," reads the City's official website.

In total, five parks are being affected by these closures, and such takes effect as of Sunday, May 3.

The parking lots of La Fontaine, Maisonneuve, Jarry, Fréderic-Back, and Île-de-la-Visitation nature park are being closed for the time being.

The City of Montreal also shared this information on Twitter.

#COVID19 : Nous fermons les stationnements de certains grands parcs pour favoriser le maintien de la distanciation… https://t.co/WxzJzlweLp
— Ville de Montréal (@Ville de Montréal) 1588463787.0

Translation: "#COVID19: We are closing parking lots in some large parks to help maintain physical distance."

The City nevertheless indicated that "as a general rule, the instructions are respected by the citizens of the agglomeration, who demonstrate a great deal of discipline and sustained cooperation."

So, that's something to be proud of!

In the news release, it's also pointed out that even in these outdoor locations, gatherings remain prohibited.

The two metres provided to ensure a good distance between people who do not live at the same address are also required.

Montreal is also asking its citizens to avoid non-essential travel and to only frequent parks near their homes.

These are not the first parks to be affected by the crisis surrounding COVID-19.

At the beginning of April, the City also closed those for Mount Royal Park and Île Notre-Dame.

Since the start of the police intervention to restrict public gatherings, thousands of tickets have been issued across the province.

This article was originally published in French on Narcity Québec.