Pickleball and tennis courts are shutting down as a result of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ stay-at-home order in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The closures affect all recreation and sports courts in The Villages – the latest recreational activities to be canceled or shut down because of the pandemic.
In recent days, pickleball courts had continued to stay quite busy as Villagers struggled to find activities they could participate in amid the many other closures – including all three town squares – during the past few weeks. The sport already had been scaled back to a degree. Equipment rentals had been suspended, players were required to bring their own balls and water coolers were no longer provided because of the dangers of spreading the virus among residents.
The courts will close today at 5 p.m. Other popular activities like tennis, platform tennis and shuffleboard also are included. Golf courses, fishing ponds, nature trails, cycling areas and walkways will remain open.
Thursday’s closures in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown follow a long line of other shutdowns because of the potentially deadly Coronavirus. Those include recreation centers, dog parks, swimming pools, the Wilkerson Creek Playground, outdoor excursions, Lake Sumter Line boat tours, fitness clubs, softball, the Mark Twain Library and the Southside Hot Tub.
All recreation-sponsored events also have been canceled. Those include Senior Games, Camp Villages (Easter) and Running of the Squares 5K.
If you have thoughts on the pickleball and tennis courts being closed because of the pandemic, we’d like to hear them. Send us a Letter to the Editor at https://www.villages-news.com/submit-letters-editor/.