Dallas recreation centers, libraries and cultural facilities are closed to the public starting Saturday for at least a week due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.
After eight confirmed cases of coronavirus in Dallas County, including one person with evidence of a community spread, Mayor Eric Johnson late Thursday night declared a local state of disaster and banned gatherings of more than 500 people. The declaration is valid for seven days.
Jo Giudice, director of Dallas Public Library, said an unprecedented number of libraries have been closing across the country. She said she reluctantly understands that it’s the right call.
“At the heart of the matter, it goes against our mission, which is serving the public ,and especially the ones who need the most help,” Giudice said. “We really have to think of the bigger picture of safety and health, and not spreading a disease. But it’s hard. ... Our passion is to be there.”
City Manager T.C. Broadnax on Friday ordered all city-sponsored events that involve its employees or in Dallas’ facilities to be canceled until further notice, including those at the libraries and recreation centers.
The city has 29 library sites, which include Bookmarks in NorthPark Center, more than 40 recreation centers, and 212 athletic fields, said Assistant City Manager Joey Zapata.
Jo Giudice, director of the Dallas Public Library system, said the week-long closure is “unprecedented” in its history. Libraries have only been closed once — for a single day during an ice storm several years ago.
Those hardest hit by the closure will include the homeless, who use the downtown central library as gathering spot — and a place where they can use the bathroom and wash their hands. Giudice said she is meeting Friday afternoon to discuss emergency contingency plans with the Office of Homeless Solutions; an update will be provided following those discussions.
Dallas public libraries average more than 8,800 daily visitors, Giudice said.
The move to close the downtown library and the 28 branch locations also comes just as Dallas ISD students begin their spring break. This will be one more place they can't go, as the break will likely extend beyond the week off.
But Dallas is not alone in its closures: Giudice said the Urban Libraries Council knows of at least 22 other systems, big and small, that have temporarily closed in recent weeks because of the COVID-19 spread.
“It’s tough,” she said. "It was a difficult decision all the way around.”
The Dallas Police Department’s Youth Athletic League, a youth crime prevention program, has also canceled all events until further notice.
City officials said they are closely monitoring the situation of the virus to determine any changes to other public buildings that currently remain open.
Athletic fields will also be closed for all reservations and organized play, according to a city news release Friday. City officials said they’re contacting those with reservations to cancel or reschedule their events. Dallas Public Library staffers will continue to answer to customers by phones or emails.
The four neighborhood cultural centers that will be closed are Bath House Cultural Center, Latino Cultural Center, Oak Cliff Cultural Center and South Dallas Cultural Center.
The Dallas City Council in a meeting Wednesday will decide whether to extend the declaration beyond one week.
Staff writers Cassandra Jaramillo and Robert Wilonsky contributed.