By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
The Town of Cobourg’s Emergency Control Group thanks the community for their patience and understanding as they reviewed implications from Monday’s announcement by the province, and has shared information on changes to municipal programs and services.
The province has responded to the recent rapid increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations by returning to the modified version of Step Two of its Roadmap to Reopen, effective from 12:01 a.m. Jan. 5 at least through Jan. 26 – subject to trends in public health and health-system indicators. As a result:
Social gatherings are limited to five people indoors and 10 people outdoors.
Capacity at indoor weddings, funerals and religious services, rites and ceremonies is limited to 50% of the room’s capacity.
Indoor meeting and event spaces (with limited exceptions) are closed, but outdoor spaces can remain open with certain restrictions.
Public libraries are limited to 50% capacity.
Indoor dining is closed at restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments. Outdoor dining (with restrictions), take-out, drive-through and delivery are permitted.
Indoor concert venues, theatres, cinemas, rehearsals and recorded performances are subject to restrictions.
Indoor sport and recreational fitness facilities (including gyms) are closed.
In Cobourg, that means a number of changes.
The Cobourg Community Centre will be closed during the Jan. 5-26 period, though the Mass Immunization Clinic operating in the gymnasium will continue to be open to those who have booked vaccination and booster appointments.
The Rotary Harbourfront Outdoor Skating Rink remains open. Anyone using the rink must where a mask where physical distancing is not possible. Those gathering around the rink itself are asked to abide by the reduced social-gathering limits of 10 people outdoors.
The Venture 13 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre will be closed during the Jan. 5-26 period. While tenants and members of the facility can still access the premises, meeting and event spaces will no longer be available for public bookings.
“Although the new year isn’t starting the way we would have liked, I want to thank our community for their continued efforts to protect themselves and others from the highly transmissible Omicron variant,” Mayor John Henderson said in the press release.
“I am asking each of you to please abide by the modified provincial regulations and restrictions, and to continue to take everyone’s health and safety seriously.”
For information on municipal programs and service updates, visit the town’s website at www.cobourg.ca/covid19
