This Ontario City Just Announced New Capacity Limits & Restrictions For Outdoor Activities
The new measures go into effect on Boxing Day.
With the holidays in full swing this weekend, Ontarians might be looking to throw on their ice skates or ride down snowy hills in their sleds. But those living in Ottawa will have to adjust their expectations as new public health measures will kick in starting this Sunday.
On December 23, Ottawa's Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etches wrote a letter of instruction addressed to operators and owners of outdoor recreation sites — like skating rinks, sledding hills, cross country ski and snowshoe trails, and other similar winter activities — detailing the extra health measures that are set to take place on Boxing Day.
"While the risk of transmission of COVID-19, on average, is greater in indoor spaces compared to outdoors, transmission is elevated in outdoor spaces when there is crowding, close contact, prolonged exposure and forceful exhalation," Etches said.
As of 12:01 a.m. on December 26, capacity limits will be capped at 25 or the highest number of people that can accommodate 2-metre social distancing, whichever is the lowest.
Indoor change rooms and clubhouses will also be closed to the public, though public washrooms will still be open. Masking will also be mandatory in public washrooms. You'll also have to wear a mask before and after participating in a recreational activity or if you're just "observing" other people.
Outdoor refrigerated rinks like Ben Franklin Place Skating Rink, City Hall Rink of Dreams, Jim Tubman Chevrolet Rink of Dreams, and Lansdowne Park Skating court will have their max capacities limits posted, and physical distancing will be required between skaters unless you're coming from the same household.
Skating trails and ovals, sledding hills, trailheads, and other access points to shared outdoor spaces will also have these capacity limits put in place "where members of the public congregate."
On December 23, Ontario reported its highest number of new COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.
Leading into the holiday season this year, the Ontario government implemented public health measures like shrinking capacity limits for social gatherings both indoors and outdoors as well as instating curfews for restaurants and bars amid concerns of the Omicron variant.