Bernie Rivers Field in Negaunee is pictured. The city of Negaunee has closed all public parks in lieu of the COVID-19 crisis and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay at home order. The city will alert the public when parks have been reopened. (Photo courtesy of Nate Heffron)

NEGAUNEE — In an effort to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the city of Negaunee is closing its parks to the public.

On Friday, City Manager Nate Heffron said officials discovered that someone had cleared snow at the basketball courts at Bernie Rivers Field. He said it is rumored that at least one other public park would be cleared of snow sometime soon.

“There is a stay at home order in place,” Heffron said. “I understand that some people may have cabin fever or maybe they want to take their kids out to play. We know this virus is spread via human-to-human contact, and at this point we can’t risk letting people gather in the parks to use the playground equipment or to play basketball.”

He said the closure would be enforced by the Negaunee Police Department.

“We will enforce it,” Heffron said. “We are very serious about this.”

The Carnegie Public Library in Ishpeming, while closed to the public, has launched a new service, a Librarian Hotline.

Patrons can call 906-486-4381.

Library personnel will be staffing the phones between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday through Wednesday to answer questions and help citizens find key information.

“Questions about the census, locating a phone number for a business or service, book recommendations and help with online resources are just some of the services the library can provide,” the release states.

Residents are encouraged to call anytime outside the hotline hours as well, according to the release. Callers can leave a brief message with contact information and a librarian will return messages as soon as possible, or those with internet can communicate via email. Staff email addresses can be found on the library website at www.uproc.lib.mi.us/ishpeming/.

“We miss our patrons and we miss forging relationships with newcomers,” librarian Kelsey Boldt said. “The hotline allows us to stay connected and help people in whatever way we can during this time.”