Clarington recreation facilities to close during Provincewide Shutdown

At a press conference Monday afternoon, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that Ontario will enter into a Provincewide Shutdown at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, December 26, 2020. The Ontario Government is urging everyone to stay at home as much as possible to minimize transmission of COVID-19 and prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. All of Southern Ontario, including Durham Region and Clarington, will remain shut down for a minimum of 28 days. During the Provincewide Shutdown, the Province’s COVID-19 Response Framework will be paused.

As a result of today’s announcement, the Municipality will be closing its recreation facilities and postponing our winter programs for at least 28 days beginning Saturday, December 26 or until the shutdown ends. We will continue to monitor updates from the Province and re-evaluate when programs can resume following all Provincial guidelines.

Clarington is not cancelling the entire winter session. We recognize that when the Province scales back restrictions, our residents will want to remain active and rely on our safe and regulated programs and services.

The following is our plan for winter programs:

• All drop-in programs, including swimming, skating, use of the fitness centre and fitness classes, are cancelled and will resume on Saturday, January 23, 2021.
• Registered programs will resume beginning Saturday, January 23, 2021.
• Program registration will continue throughout the shutdown and is available online at www.clarington.net/BeActive. You can also register by phone at 905-623-3379 ext. 2552. Phone registration will not be available during statutory holidays.
• Memberships will be extended for the duration of the shutdown.
• All facility rentals are cancelled until the end of the shutdown.

If participants want to withdraw from a program, please email communityservices@clarington.net. If we don’t hear from you, we will be processing applicable pro-rated refunds in mid-January.

All other essential Municipal programs and services will continue. The Municipal Administrative Centre, located at 40 Temperance Street in Bowmanville, will remain open until Thursday, December 24, 2020, at noon. The building will then close over the holiday season, reopening on Monday, January 4, 2021.

Support and resources

To find out all the restrictions and implications of the Provincewide Shutdown in our community, visit the Durham Region Health Department website.

Additional information and resources are available to small businesses at www.ontario.ca/covidsupport, including details on the Ontario Small Business Support Grant.

What the Provincewide Shutdown means:

• Avoid contact with people outside of your household.
• If you live alone, you may have close contact with one other household.
• Limit trips outside of the home to essential reasons, including work, grocery shopping, pharmacy, health care, assisting vulnerable individuals or exercise.
• Indoor organized public events and social gatherings are prohibited.

COVID-19 safety measures:

• Wash and sanitize your hands thoroughly and often.
• Wear a face mask inside public spaces and outdoors if you cannot maintain a two-metre physical distance.
• Clean and sanitize all high-touch surfaces.