New York City's coronavirus restrictions on workout facilities are driving fitness fanatics to use public playgrounds as makeshift gyms, causing parents to complain their children can no longer play.
"It's unfair on the children," said one mother in Astoria Heights, Queens, who told the New York Post children "can feel intimidated" by adults working out at playgrounds "and can't play properly because of their presence."
She added, "My friend recently spotted a trainer with half a dozen clients in tow. They took up half of the available space with little regard for anyone else."
Another Astoria-based mother, author and comedian Michelle Slonim Rosenfeld, suggested New York City Parks "should start putting up signs. Playgrounds are already filled with tears and dirty diapers. We don't need to add sweaty armpits."
NYC Parks press officer Anessa Hodgson said, "For many New Yorkers during the public health crisis, they have become their gym, their yoga studio, and a space for active and passive recreation. While it may appear that more adults are using our playgrounds for exercise, this has long been a trend and we ask that they are courteous and considerate to others."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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