Due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, Windsor's recreation centres will remain closed well after the winter holiday season.
Windsor City Council has agreed to extend the closure of all municipal recreation centres through at least January 15, 2021. Community centres, swimming pools, and arenas were temporarily shut down earlier this week after Windsor-Essex was placed in the province's "red", or control, COVID-19 control stage.
"We need to do all we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19 locally before it overwhelms our hospitals," said Mayor Drew Dilkens in a media release. "Community centres and recreation programming, by their very nature, encourage gatherings and group participation, which public health officials stress we should avoid right now."
The closure does not include after-school recreation programs, which will continue as scheduled, and tenants that lease space in city facilities for these programs or non-recreational purposes can continue to operate.
The city recommends using outdoor facilities such as parks, trails, and sports courts, to keep fit during the closure of community centres. Skating and tobogganing are also options once conditions allow.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has reported 443 new coronavirus cases over the past six days, including a record 127 on Wednesday.
