North Bay, ON – May 20, 2020 – The City is lifting some restrictions that relate to outdoor recreational amenities in accordance to the province’s stage-one reopenings.
This includes expanding access to parks and open spaces and allowing the use of benches, picnic tables and shelters. Access to municipal parks and open spaces had been limited to walking, running or riding bikes through. Examples of activities that are now permissible include sitting alone or with members of your household, personal fitness, playing catch or kicking a ball.
The use of tennis courts and multi-use fields will also be permitted for unorganized, casual play by individuals. In all cases, physical distancing of at least two metres is required and groups of more than five people are still restricted.
Players using courts are encouraged to bring hand sanitizer. Players are reminded to mark their own tennis or pickle balls and to kick their partners’ pickle and tennis balls back to them. The rental of fields and courts for competitive sports will not resume until allowed by the province.
Provincial Orders remain in effect prohibiting the use of beaches, public washrooms, play structures, swings, slides, splash pads and outdoor exercise equipment.
Preparations are underway to open the City’s Skate Park, located at Thomson Park; and the off-leash dog park at Champlain Park, which is operated by the North Bay and District Humane Society, has not yet reopened.
For an up-to-date list of COVID-19-affected municipal services and facilities, please visit https://www.cityofnorthbay.ca/covid-19-information/