Yesterday, May 19, the Ontario government announced the immediate reopening of a number of outdoor recreational amenities as part of the first stage of its plan to reopen the province.

As a result, the Town of Whitby has begun the process of reopening and readying a number of local outdoor recreational amenities for public use, but not for permitting. This includes sports fields, beaches, off-leash dog parks, and outdoor picnic sites, benches and shelters.

Over the next two weeks, Town staff will undertake the required maintenance and repair of these amenities to ensure they are safe and ready for the public, in addition to posting updated signage throughout Town parks to reinforce the need to stay six feet apart. The Town thanks residents for their patience as this work is completed.

At this time, the following provincial orders remain in effect:

• no gatherings of more than five people who are not in the same household,
• all playgrounds, playground structures, splash pads and outdoor fitness equipment are still closed and not to be used.

When outdoors, residents are reminded to do their part to stay apart by maintaining a distance of at least two metres (or six feet) between themselves and any person living outside of their household.

The Town continues to review updates from the Ontario government to assess their local impact, as well as the time needed to safely implement any reopenings. For ongoing updates on what is closed, cancelled or reopening, visit whitby.ca/reopening.

* Use only permitted when maintaining physical distance of at least two metres (or six feet) between yourself and any person living outside of your household; dates may change based on weather and unforeseen circumstances.

For more information on the actions the Town is taking in response to COVID-19, visit whitby.ca/coronavirus.