Public pools and rec facilities in the Comox Valley are still open, at least for now.
On Friday, the Comox Valley Regional District sent out an update about its response to the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. The notice said gym and pool facilities are open, with programs are running as scheduled, though staff are limiting attendance in facilities to 250 people, the maximum number as set out by the Province.
While the pools are open, hot tubs, steam rooms and saunas have been closed.
“It is important at this time, that everyone takes the necessary steps to help stop the spread of COVID-19 while balancing normality within our community,” CVRD chief administration officer Russell Dyson said in the notice. “As of today [March 13], the BC Ministry of Health has one confirmed case of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island and no cases confirmed within the region. We are taking precautionary measures and will continue to monitor and plan next steps as new information is provided to us.”
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The CVRD also stated it is working with its member municipalities to collaborate on measures and best practices to respond to the situation. It also notes that circumstances regarding the pandemic can change quickly, so it is recommending people visit its website to sign up for notifications on schedule changes for the Sports Centre and Aquatic Centre at www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/subscribe.
The City of Courtenay also sent out notice Friday that its recreation facilities, which include the Lewis Centre, the Florence Filberg Centre and the LINC Youth Centre, were open and programs running as scheduled. However, the City added that some programs might be cancelled because of social distancing considerations.
The City is also providing extra daily cleaning, especially at ‘high-contact’ points such as washrooms, common areas and the Wellness Centre. Patrons are reminded to clean equipment after each use, and they should not use facilities if they are feeling unwell or have recently travelled outside Canada. They are also asked to maintain a distance of at least a metre from others while in public and observe hygiene measures such as regular hand-washing for at least 20 seconds or using hand sanitizer if soap is not available, avoiding touching their face, and coughing or sneezing into your sleeve.
In the Town of Comox, the recreation department noted on its Comox Recreation Facebook page, the Community Centre is open and spring break programs are still running. As in other jurisdictions, it stressed the same hygiene measures and requested that anyone at risk of spreading the virus to avoid visiting the facility. On Sunday, it announced the saunas in change-rooms will be closed until further notice.
The Village of Cumberland is also updating people on its Cumberland Recreation page on Facebook, and made similar recommendations as the other communities have made. Cumberland Recreation also highlighted that it has increased cleaning and disinfecting protocols, is providing public education posters to keep people informed and communicating prevention and reporting guidelines with staff and instructors.
For the latest updates on the COVID-19 situation regarding these facilities, people should check out their local government webpages or social media sites.
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