BOCA RATON, Fla. — Boca Raton leaders discuss plans on how to reopen beaches and parks. It's an issue being closely watched across our entire area.
Stan Smith is out for a nice walk in Boca Raton. He'd love to see the beaches reopen.
"I think that it's a really tough balance," he said. "It's an important balance to find between our personal safety and getting people out moving and getting the economy going back to work."
Monday evening the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Parks District discussed asking the county to open beaches, parks, private golf courses and tennis courts, as soon as it is safe.
City Councilman And Thomson said it's important to identify and define the benchmarks that must be met first.
"Probably consistent with the federal government and the CDC have suggested, which are declining rates of cases, plenty of hospital capacity, lots of testing," he said.
The issue is now front and center with the City Council expected to address the resolution Tuesday.
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Thomson said recreation should be one of the first things to open up. He said it's tough to predict an exact date.
"But when that data comes in and when the science demonstrates to us it is safe, that's when we want to see these things open," he said.
Down by the beaches, people are making it clear what they say needs to be done.
"I think if people maintain their 6-8 feet distance apart from one another and maintain really safe, it will do a lot of good in the mental health department," one woman said.
Smith said it's important to find out who's been exposed to the virus.
"It's really hard to say how many people have it because we haven't done enough testing yet," he said.