PLANTATION, FLA. (WSVN) - Plenty of sports and recreational leagues in South Florida have stopped to help curb the spread of COVID-19, but that didn’t prevent families from spending part of their weekend on the field.
The pro youth sports leagues may have postponed their seasons due to the worldwide spread of coronavirus, but as long as recreational parks are open, coaches and players are allowed to practice at their local parks.
7News cameras captured children hitting balls and circling the diamond at a park in Weston on a sunny Saturday.
“Just for them to have a little bit of fun, with safety, of course,” said youth baseball coach Milton Hurtado. “They’re not sharing equipment or anything like that, so they’re staying safe while breathing fresh air.”
The young players’ parents agree.
“The best cure for any illness is to get outside, get some sunshine and some fresh air,” said Lon Allen. “We’re lucky we live in an area where we can do that year round, and that’s what we’re gonna do.”
With school being out in both Broward and Miami-Dade counties, for at least the next two weeks, some parents are thrilled their children can have an escape at their local ballpark.
“I’m just glad that my son can come out and play and be outside with his friends and gets to do what he likes to do,” said Miki Taylor, “so I’m just very happy to take him.”
Make no mistake about it: parents are doing their best to keep their children safe.
Some of the coaches and parents who spoke to 7News said they believe that with their children being the least likely to contract COVID-19, they want their kids to be able to be kids until the new coronavirus becomes a thing of the past.
“I think that [you take] precautionary measures, and then you start to keep living our lives, as normally as we can,” said Hurtado.
“We see ourselves as pretty low-risk when ot comes to, really, the people that are at risk in this whole crisis,” said Allen.
Even NBA superstar LeBron James is making sure he gets his children out of the house. He posted a video to Instagram showing his son and his teammates practicing at the Lakers’ facility.
While each community is unique, health officials advise residents to take proper precautions when it comes to children and teens during this pandemic.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.