With the announcement of new provincial restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19, the City has announced the closure of fitness centres including cardio and weight rooms, the suspension of fitness classes and aquafitness, and the closure of interactive exhibits at City museums and art galleries. Team sports using City facilities will be limited to training and drills, with no scrimmages or competitive play permitted. These restrictions take effect tomorrow and will remain for the next 28 days.
The impacted activities include:
- Weight and cardio rooms
- Fitness classes (including aquafitness and dance classes)
- Indoor team sports – such as hockey, volleyball, basketball, and indoor soccer
- Interactive exhibits at museums, galleries and cultural facilities
- Food vending service at City facilities
The new restrictions will not impact:
- Public skating and skating lessons
- Public swimming and swimming lessons
- Before-and-after school programs
The provincial regulations for wedding receptions and events already booked for the Thanksgiving long weekend will remain unchanged to allow these events to proceed as planned. Additional restrictions for these events, including reduced gathering limits of 10 people inside or 25 people outside, will come into effect as of Tuesday, October 13.
City staff will be reviewing the Provincial Order detailing the new restrictions when it is released next week and will provide further updates as required.
The City recognizes the social, physical and mental health benefits of recreation and cultural programming to the community. We hope these restrictions will reduce COVID-19 case numbers to allow affected programming to resume.
Registration for the fall recreation and arts programs, which was postponed last week, is officially cancelled. The City is placing its attention to developing winter recreation and arts programming that is conducive to the current environment. We want to offer fun and exciting programs in the new year that help keep residents stay active, healthy and safe.