ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — From moms out with their kids.
"It was very, very fun for all of us," said Mojda Jalali.
To walkers hitting the trails.
"It's just a nice way to get rid of some pinned-up energy," said Linda Shoemaker.
To countless pet owners out with their pooches. They all were spotted in Cliff Cave County Park in south St. Louis County Friday afternoon.
"I just love walking outside," said Jalali.
Jalali and her four kids made a beeline for the popular park before a countywide closure took effect.
"It's kind of hard being at home with all your kids," said the Oakville mom.
At 8 p.m. Friday, officials closed almost 60 parks in St. Louis County and several recreational centers because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Add that to a new statewide stay-at-home order that begins Monday, plenty of park-goers have had enough.
"It kind of stinks just because a lot of other things have closed," said Mary Pfaf, who enjoyed a stroll through Cliff Cave County Park with her dog, Juliette.
"On a scale of one to 10, I think this is a 10. I think it's total over-reach. I don't see the need for it," said Linda Shoemaker.
Like it or not, county officials said the temporary park closures are needed to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
"It would be hard on me, but at the same time, it's just safe for the people," said Jalali.
"It makes no sense. You can go to the city and their parks aren't closed. I just don't see how this is gonna help. I think it's a knee-jerk reaction to what else can we close down," said Shoemaker.
"It's just a little scary, but I think if we all stick together, we can kind of stay safe," said Mary Pfaf.
In a series of tweets Friday evening, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page defended the decision.
"Closing parks is not something I take lightly. I hoped that people would use their common sense and follow social distancing practices in the parks. It didn’t work out that way. There were simply too many people in the parks who ignored social distancing practices."
"We explored different ways to protect the health of park visitors and those they interact with. A partial closure done immediately wasn’t feasible. But our health experts advised us to act now. Unfortunately, closing all the parks was the only viable option to limit the spread."