The government’s ‘roadmap’ out of the Covid-19 lockdown fails to acknowledge the importance of children’s outdoor play, complains the Association of Play Industries in the UK.
In a statement, the API said that while it supports the closure of playgrounds in the first stage of the lockdown, apart from a brief mention in “step one” of the strategy reinforcing what is not possible in respect of playgrounds, children’s outdoor play is not mentioned again in the government’s 50-page document.
The API stated: “The fundamental role that play has in children’s normal development has been completely overlooked. This is the cause of grave concern to all those with an interest in children’s mental and physical health.”
The organisation said that the lockdown was “a brutal measure” to impose on children that has a disproportionately negative impact on the most disadvantaged in society.
“Those children with no access to outside space, in flats or houses without gardens, will be living a wholly different experience to those in more privileged areas. Free, community play provision for all is an essential public facility and goes a long way towards addressing children’s inequality.
"The API called upon the UK Government to set out the phase in which a return to children’s play could be considered and outline safety guidelines required."
