Some parents in LA are unhappy with they see as uneven application of science.
Ferrer said that before issuing the latest regulations, health officials “went back and forth for many days” about how to handle reports from local parks departments about crowding, children playing without masks and the difficulty of sanitizing playground equipment.
Tara Kirk Sell, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security who has focused on risk communication and misinformation during the pandemic, said health officials must “be prepared for a good answer for why each of these measures should be put in place” and the science behind it.
“When there are too many restrictions and the public can’t understand and see the reason, it can make them stop listening altogether,” Sell said. “Trust — once it’s gone, it’s gone for good. Public health is really going to have to communicate well the next few months as we roll out vaccines.”
As for closing playgrounds, she said, officials have to remember that parents and children “need some sort of outlet.”