Longboat closes Public Tennis Center over COVID-19 concerns

The town of Longboat Key is shutting down its Public Tennis Center as part of measures taken to slow the spread of COVID-19.

In an email Saturday night, the town said the tennis complex would be closed as of 6 a.m., Sunday. Also, active play areas of the town’s Bayfront Park would be off-limits at the same time, including tennis, pickleball, basketball, shuffleboard and the children’s playground.

The dog park will remain open, the town said.

Public beach access points were closed early Friday and Saturday mornings as part of wider beach closures announced on Thursday by Manatee and Sarasota county leaders,

Longboat Key said passive recreation sites in Bayfront Park would remain open, such as walking paths and green space would remain open, though Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for social distancing should be followed at all of the town’s parks.

“We appreciate your understanding,’’ wrote Susan Phillips, assistant to Town Manager Tom Harmer.

At the Resort at Longboat Key Club, managing director Rick Konsavage announced on Friday a restriction on tennis play designed to maximize social distancing. 

Hours of play were set at 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 10 of 20 courts would be in use, "equally spaced for the most effective social distancing."

The nets on the club's pickleball courts were removed, Konsavage wrote in an email to members.

On Monday, management of the Privateer condominium, in an email to residents, said a resident of the community had been hospitalized after a positive test for coronavirus, and the patient's spouse was self-quarantined.