On a beautiful Saturday afternoon this past weekend, the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) closed Southpoint Park because as described by RIOC Public Information Officer Terrence McCauley:

Due to the Social Distancing rules, South Point Park will be closed, for the reminder of the day. This will help enforce Social Distancing and stop the spread. Everyone remain safe and wear your face mask…. Ive asked PSD for details about todays incident.

I asked Mr McCauley for an update today:

Any more details as to why Southpoint Park was closed Saturday. How many people were there.

Mr McCauley replied:

Not an exact count, but given the number of people who were not adhering to social distancing and face protection guidelines, we had no choice but to close the park. We will continue to close it and other public spaces when social distancing rules are not being observed.

A Roosevelt Island observer shares this photo showing:

… the number of people yesterday (Saturday) who were on the island without masks, including many joggers & bikers who came right alongside me. I took photos of a few people who were in public clearly not wearing masks.

I think it’s worth noting that yesterday I also saw one person (without a mask) spit into the air in front of the deli and another woman sneezed into the air near Foodtown. Might be good for people to be aware that things like this still happen in public and no one should be making assumptions that it’s safe.

According to NY State Andrew Cuomo’s April 15 Executive Order:

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced he will issue an Executive Order requiring all people in New York to wear a mask or a face covering when out in public and in situations where social distancing cannot be maintained, such as on public transportation. The Executive Order will go into effect on Friday, April 17th….

As previously reported from the Roosevelt Island Twitterverse:

UPDATE 4/28: