Effective March 12th, 2020; the Rockford Park District was directed by the Winnebago County Health Department that effective immediately, non-essential events and gatherings not be held, as a way to reduce and prevent community transmission of Coronavirus (COVID-19.)  Public events were categorized as gatherings with more than 25 people attending. On a daily basis certain Rockford Park District facilities have large amounts of customers and guests utilizing the facility and it would be extremely difficult to implement social distancing (6 feet apart) at specific locations.  A variety of users have also already decided to cancel or reschedule their events, rentals, or tournaments at the District’s sports facilities. As of now, the following Rockford Park District facilities will be closed until further notice:

• Mercyhealth Sportscore Two and Skybox
• Mercyhealth Sportscore One
• UW Health Sports Factory
• Carlson Ice Arena
• Riverview Ice House
• Sapora Playworld

“We have never been in this position before, but we know this is going to have a major impact on the services we provide citizens, and especially area youth. The safety of our participants, guests, team members, and community is the top priority at the Rockford Park District. We have been following and supporting the guidelines and recommendations made by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and Winnebago County Health Department (WCHD), and will continue to do so until concerns about this health emergency subside,” said Rockford Park District Executive Director Jay Sandine.

Rockford Park District’s COVID-19 Response Team has been monitoring the latest information, and will continue to provide additional updates as needed. The District will also continue with enhanced cleaning protocols, hand sanitizer opportunities, and informational signage about COVID-19.  Additional information can be found at www.rockfordparkdistrict.org/covid19.