*Please see below a media release issued by the City of Burlington.
Burlington, Ont. — Nov. 6, 2020 — Following the Ontario COVID-19 Response Framework: Keeping Ontario Safe and Open and the recommendation of Halton Region’s Medical Officer of Health on the return to fitness classes and team sports, the City of Burlington will continue to offer fitness programs online to all registered participants for the remainder of this year and will resume in-person pickleball and aquatic fitness programs effective Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020.
Sport teams in City facilities and on outdoor fields can resume games, meeting all requirements identified in the Provincial Framework.
Fitness providers offering programs in City facilities can resume their modified programs beginning Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. Please contact your fitness provider for more information.
“We’re very excited to be ending the pause on our indoor fitness and aqua fitness classes as well as the pause on game play for team sports. We know there are a lot of people who really enjoy and depend on these programs. We will continue to follow the direction from our Medical Officer of Health and the Province, as we always have. I would also like to encourage everyone to have a look at our great online series of recreation videos and I encourage everyone to get outside and play in our beautiful parks and open spaces throughout the city that are available for recreational and leisure use.” — Chris Glenn, Director of Recreation Services, City of Burlington
City-Run – Adult Fitness Programs
Adult Fitness Programs will continue to run with some modifications:
- Starting Monday, Nov. 9, residents registered in active indoor programs, have been offered the chance to switch to group online fitness and wellness classes with some outdoor options available.
- No additional registrations are being accepted at this time to Fall Session 3 Active programs.
- The City is planning to re-introduce in-person fitness classes in early 2021 for the winter session.
City-Run Pickleball Programs
Pickleball programs will begin Monday, Nov. 9 for all players already registered in Session 3 and will follow all established game-play protocols.
- Tansley Woods outdoor pickleball court will remain open for participants while weather permits.
- Limited spaces are available for our November Pickleball programs. For more information and to register, visit burlington.ca.
Tansley Woods Pickleball Season Extended
The outdoor pickleball court at Tansley Woods will be extended on a weekly basis as weather permits. The court was scheduled to close this week but thanks to the warm weather, will stay open for at least one more week and be re-evaluated.
City- Run Aquatic Fitness
Aquatic fitness will resume on Monday, Nov. 9. Participants can register online up to 25-hours before the class. The online registration process includes pre-paying online and completing the online health screening before the class begins. Please fill out the screening form at burlington.ca/screening. Aquatic programming can be found at burlington.ca/fall.
The City will continue to follow the advice of Halton Region Public Health in an effort to protect the health and safety of residents and staff. Any further changes and adjustments will be done in cooperation with Halton Region Public Health.
As outlined by the Province and the Regional Medical Officer of Health, safety measures include:
- Increase spacing between patrons to 3m for areas of a sport or recreational facility where there are exercise/fitness classes
- Recreational programs limited to 10 people per room indoors and 25 outdoors
- Require contact information for all patrons and attendance for team sports
- Team or individual sports must be modified to avoid physical contact
MAYOR MEED WARD’S TAKE:
The province heard our request to provide guidelines to continue activities in a safe way, rather than blanket closures. With the release of the new framework, our community can resume fitness classes and game play — welcome news to many. I thank our residents and community for their patience while we resume our City-run indoor fitness classes, like indoor pickleball and aquatic fitness programs, this weekend and into next week.
Links and Resources:
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PLEASE NOTE: To stay updated on what the City of Burlington is doing regarding COVID-19, please visit the dedicated pages burlington.ca/coronavirus (and subscribe) and bit.ly/mayormeedwardCOVID19updates, and our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page — bit.ly/COVID19BurlingtonFAQ that are updated as new information becomes available.
A Burlington COVID-19 Task Force has been created to help support our community through this unprecedented emergency — updates will be provided at burlington.ca/COVID19taskforce.
To report an incident of non-compliance with provincial emergency orders, please contact the Halton Regional Police Service COVID-19 Hotline: 905-825-4722.
We’ve also created a dedicated page to feature the local organizations and businesses that have inspired us during the COVID-19 pandemic by taking action to support our community in new and creative ways — head to bit.ly/covidwallofinspiration.
HELPFUL RESOURCES & RELATED LINKS:
- Community questions and requests regarding City of Burlington services can be directed to Service Burlington by phone at 905-335-7777, by email at city@burlington.ca or online.
- Halton Region has created a Reopening Schools resource webpage for parents, students and teachers at halton.ca/covid19.
- For further COVID-19 information, including where to get tested, please visit Halton Region Public Health halton.ca/coronavirus
- Residents can stay informed at burlington.ca/coronavirus as well as on our social media channels: @cityburlington on Twitter and facebook.com/cityburlington
- Questions about the cancellation of Recreation programs can be directed to rentals@burlington.ca or liveandplay@burlington.ca or 905-335-7738
- City of Burlington: www.burlington.ca/coronavirus
- Resources for Residents & Non-Profit Organizations: www.burlington.ca/covid19resources.
- Halton Region: www.halton.ca/coronavirus
- Government of Ontario: www.ontario.ca/coronavirus
- Provincial Emergency Orders: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/200052
- Government of Canada: www.canada.ca/coronavirus
- World Health Organization: www.who.int
- Joseph Brant Hospital: josephbranthospital.ca/covid-19
- Team Burlington Business Supports: burlingtonchamber.com/team-burl-supporting-burl-business-during-covid-19/
- Burlington Food Bank: call 905-637-CARE (2273), or visit burlingtonfoodbank.ca
- Food for Life: call 905-635-1106 and press 7, or visit foodforlife.ca
- Canadian Mental Health Association – Halton Branch: call 289-291-5396, or visit halton.cmha.ca
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*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor’s Media and Digital Communications Specialist