Here’s how new COVID-19 measures impact Oakville residents

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By Gene Pereira

December 21, 2021 at 12:02 pm

The closing of the ServiceOakville counter at Town Hall is among the many changes to programs and services Oakville is making after the province announced additional measures to slow the spread of the new COVID-19 variant.

New updates by the province include changes to provincial gathering sizes, capacity limits and other measure that will help slow the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

“Our priority remains keeping staff and residents safe while still providing our crucial services to the public,” Oakville Mayor Rob Burton said. “We all must do our part to stop the rapid spread of Omicron and I urge all residents to get their vaccine, including signing up for their booster shot, as soon as possible.

“Please also remember that kindness goes a long way. The past two years have been difficult, but let’s continue to support each other through this challenging time like I know our community can.”

Here’s how the new measures impact Oakville residents:

Gatherings

The province has reduced social gathering limits to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors. Halton Region Public Health strongly recommends that residents switch to virtual gatherings as much as possible, and limit the number of gatherings they attend.

Capacity limits and Town Hall closure

In certain indoor public settings, including town recreation and culture facilities, Ontario has set the capacity limit at 50 per cent to reduce opportunities for close contact.

The town has closed the ServiceOakville counter at Town Hall, effective December 21, as an additional measure to slow the spread of COVID-19. Existing appointments for marriage licences and ceremonies will be honoured and ServiceOakville continues to take inquiries by phone and email.

To access the Town’s online services, visit oakville.ca.

Indoor Recreation and Culture programs

The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts (OCPA) is offering two showings of Chris Funk on December 31 at 50 per cent capacity while all drop-in indoor recreational activities are operating at 50 per cent capacity or less.

Fitness centres remain open at reduced capacities and enhanced three-metre spacing. Pre-registration for all indoor drop-in activities is advised due to limited capacities. Seniors Services programs have been cancelled for the remainder of the year.

Meanwhile, registered winter programs will run as scheduled at this time, however in the event of COVID-19 related cancellations, impacted customers will be contacted directly.

Food and/or drink services at events and facilities

Food and drink cannot be consumed indoors at recreation and culture facilities to enforce the use of masks at all times. This includes OCPA. Water bottles are permitted during active fitness and sport only. Third party vendors may operate for takeout options, which may not be consumed while in the facility.  Dine-in is only permitted within the dedicated restaurant at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex.

Outdoor skating rinks and other outdoor amenities

The Town continues to offer a variety of recreation opportunities for families, youth and adults to get outside and stay active while practising physical distancing. In addition to outdoor skating rinks, weather and appropriate usage permitting, select courts will be cleared of snow for pickleball and tennis. Please remember skating is not allowed on any ponds, streams and creeks for safety reasons.

All programs offered follow strict COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Residents are reminded to avoid close contact with others outside their household on and off the ice.

Town parks and trails also remain open.

Mask use

Individuals are required to wear a mask or face covering in the indoor areas of businesses or organizations that are open.

The Town strongly encourages residents to wear a tight-fitting mask while participating in outdoor activities, such as skating at rinks.

Holiday closures

Facility closure and service updates for 2021-2022 holiday season can be found on the Holiday hours and town facility closures for December 24, 2021 to January 4, 2022 page. Online services are available to register for programs or to report concerns such as noise or illegal parking.

For the latest information on COVID-19, public health guidelines, vaccines, Halton’s case data and more, visit halton.ca.

For updates on the COVID-19 situation and its impact on Town programs and services, visit oakville.ca.