NEWS RELEASE
CITY OF ORILLIA
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The City of Orillia is delaying its planned Feb. 24, 2021 start to drop-in program registration at the Orillia Recreation Centre following Dr. Charles Gardner’s consideration of returning the area to the grey - lockdown zone.
“Dr. Gardner made it very clear (Tuesday) both on his Facebook Live briefing and in follow-up discussion with City staff that he is seriously considering advising the province that Simcoe-Muskoka be moved back to the grey – lockdown zone and recommended maintaining the present status of our facilities,” said Mayor Steve Clarke.
“We understand that not moving forward at this time with drop-in programming at our wonderful recreation centre is disappointing, but the very real concern of highly transmissible variants of concern and the number of cases in our region going up instead of down make our decision to delay prudent. We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we continue to navigate the changing landscape and work towards providing the safest return to recreation.”
The City was working towards an anticipated opening of the Orillia Recreation Centre to the broader public through pre-registered drop-in programs starting March 1. The City of Orillia will continue to monitor the evolving COVID-19 information and will be following the advice and direction of the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.
At this time, user groups already contacted by the City will be able to access Rotary Place on Feb. 24 and the Orillia Recreation Centre on Feb. 26 as is permitted in the red – control zone. Strict adherence to all public health and safety measures is mandatory. For recreation related questions and information, please contact 705-325-4FUN.
As updates become available, changes in City services and community assistance measures will be communicated through the City’s COVID-19 information page at orillia.ca/COVID-19 and the City’s social media channels.
For COVID-19 updates from the SMDHU visit: http://www.simcoemuskokahealth.org/Promos/Novel-Coronavirus
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