City of Nanaimo is reopening arenas

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed July 14, 2020 10:54 AM

Summary

Staff presented Mayor and Council with a reopening plan for arenas at their Special Council Meeting held on Monday, July 13, 2020. This thorough plan required guidance from several governing bodies, including the Province of BC, WorkSafe BC, BC Recreation and Parks Association, viaSport and more.

City Council voted in favour of the following reopening plan for Nanaimo's arenas:

One sheet of ice installed at Nanaimo Ice Centre ready for July 27, 2020
One sheet of ice installed at Cliff McNabb Arena ready for August 3, 2020 (if demand dictates)
One sheet of ice added to Nanaimo Ice Centre ready by September 1, 2020 (if demand dictates)
One sheet of ice at Frank Crane Arena (if demand dictates; no scheduled date at this time)

The following safety protocols will be in place for the arenas and will be posted at each facility:

A maximum of 16 skaters will be allowed on one ice surface at one time, including coaches, volunteers and instructors
Participants will need to arrive no earlier than 20 minutes prior to start of ice time and will be required to leave the facility within 20 minutes of their ice time ending
Skaters will be required to come to the arena dressed in hockey gear even though dressing rooms will be open
No competitive play at this time; activities and drills involving player-to-player contact or checking will not permitted
Participants will need to bring their own filled water bottle; water fountains unavailable
Visitors must adhere to physical distancing (6 feet or 2 metres) in the facility at all times
To ensure patrons can practice physical distancing, spectators will not be permitted; one parent or guardian is permitted to enter the facility to assist their child with putting on skates and equipment
Participants will be asked to stay at home if they are sick
Visitors should sanitize their hands when entering the facility

Remaining plans for reopening pools and community centres (Beban Park, Bowen Park and Oliver Woods Recreation Centre) are complete and will also be presented to Council soon.

For more information on the City's response to the COVID-19 pandemic visit www.nanaimo.ca/COVID19.

Link to Strategic Plan: The City of Nanaimo is committed to the safety and well-being of its residents.

Key Points

Arenas, pools, community centres and other City-owned cultural venues closed on March 16 due to COVID-19. Staff will be presenting reopening plans to Council on pools and community centres in the near future.
Outdoor amenities, such as parks, trails, sports fields and playgrounds are open with guidelines posted at each facility as a way to keep the community healthy and safe during a pandemic.

Quotes

"The reopening strategy for the arenas has been a very thorough process. We are looking forward to having ice in the arenas over the next couple of weeks and being able to invite the community back. It will look different in many ways than it was before the pandemic, but the safety and health of the public and staff is our top priority."

Lynn Wark

Director, Recreation and Culture Services

City of Nanaimo

-30-

Contact:

Lynn Wark

Director, Recreation and Culture

City of Nanaimo

250-755-7512

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