Several municipalities within Simcoe County are making changes to programs and services amid concerns of the novel coronavirus.
As of Monday, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has confirmed three local cases of COVID-19, two of which are in Barrie, Ont.
Here’s a list of affected services in Simcoe County:
Simcoe County
What’s closed/cancelled:
- The Rendezvous Bistro at the Village Pub
- Programming, camps and events have been cancelled at the Simcoe County Museum for March and April, including meeting room bookings, March break day camps and public programs and March and April school groups
- All Simcoe County events are cancelled until the end of April
- All county council and committee meetings have been cancelled for March and part of April
What’s open:
- Simcoe County solid waste management facilities (landfills and transfer sites), which have moved to a cashless system
- Simcoe County administration centre
- Simcoe County Museum (programming, camps and events have been cancelled)
Long-term care homes and senior services facilities
County officials are advising individuals who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or who have been exposed to the virus in the last 14 days to not enter a long-term care home or senior services facility (LTCSS) .
All staff, students, volunteers and visitors at Simcoe County’s LTCSS facilities will be actively screened for COVID-19 by a dedicated person in each home. This will involve questions regarding respiratory symptoms, as well as taking a person’s temperature. Officials say anyone who fails any part of the screening process will be asked to leave the LTCSS facility and to contact Telehealth or a health-care provider.
All four Simcoe County LTCSS visitor entrances have been secured, allowing entry from only one main door entrance. All public community events in the LTCSS facilities will also be cancelled for the next four weeks.
Main door entrance hours at LTCSS facilities have been reduced between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Doors will be locked for the remaining hours, and visitors will be required to use the call system and wait for staff for access.
Campus residents living next to Simcoe County long-term care homes will not be allowed to attend programs or functions in the homes. A table will also be set up at the dedicated public entrance, and someone will be present to screen all visitors.
Homes have also posted notices at entry doors to advise visitors of the new precautions.
Barrie
What’s closed/cancelled:
- All recreation facilities and arenas
- All theatres
- All library branches
- Sadlon Arena
- City ward meetings and planning meetings
- Council advisory committee meetings
- General committee and council meetings are closed to the public
What’s open:
- Barrie city hall
- Barrie Transit
- Service Barrie
Bradford West Gwillimbury
What’s closed/cancelled:
- BWG Leisure Centre is closed until April 6
- BWG Public Library and Cultural Centre is closed until April 6
- Bob Fallis Sports Centre is closed until April 6
- Bradford District Memorial Community Centre is closed until April 6
- All recreation programs
- All town advisory committee meetings are cancelled until the end of April
What’s open:
- Regular council and committee of the whole meetings (the Tuesday, March 17, meeting will be relocated to the upstairs auditorium of the Bradford and District Memorial Community Centre where the larger space will allow for necessary social distancing)
- Municipal administration offices
Collingwood
What’s closed/cancelled:
- All non-essential meetings, open houses, conferences and recreational programming is postponed until the end of March
- All pre-planned programming is postponed
- Eddie Bush Memorial Arena
- Central Park Arena
- Collingwood Museum
- Centennial Aquatic Centre
- Simcoe Street Theatre
- Collingwood Public Library
- Town hall facility and in-person customer service desks
What’s open:
- Fire services
- Drinking water and wastewater treatment
- Snow clearing
- Enforcement of priority bylaws
- Essential front counter customer services
Innisfil
What’s closed/cancelled:
- Innisfil ideaLab and Library branches are closed until April 6
- Innisfil Recreational Complex and YMCA are closed until April 6
- All Innisfil arenas and programming
- All fire stations are closed to the public but remain operational
What’s open:
- Town hall is open, but visitors are limited to public areas of the building
- The Rizzardo Health and Wellness Centre
- Provincial offences court
Midland
What’s closed/cancelled:
- The North Simcoe Sports and Recreation Centre is closed for three weeks
- Midland Public Library
- Askennonia Seniors Centre is closed until at least April 6
- The Boys and Girls Club of North Simcoe is closed until at least April 3, and all March break camps have been cancelled
What’s open:
- Midland water/wastewater, fire and police services
- Municipal offices are open but with curtailed services, and access is restricted to people with urgent matters
- Midland Penetanguishene Transit Service
- Midland town hall
Orillia
What’s closed/cancelled:
- Orillia Public Library
- Orillia Farmers’ Market
- All city recreation programming
- The municipal operations centre is closed to the public. Staff will respond to public inquiries by phone and email
- The wastewater treatment centre is closed to the public. Staff will respond to public inquiries by phone and email
- Both Orillia fire stations
- Orillia Youth Centre
- All public gatherings of 250 people or more will be cancelled until April 30
What’s open:
- Orillia city centre
- Waste diversion site
- Rotary Place and Brian Orser Arena
- Barnfield Point Recreation Centre
- Orillia Opera House
- Stephen Leacock Museum
Springwater
What’s closed/cancelled:
- Elmvale Arena
- Community halls/rentals
- Springwater library
- March break camps
- Fitness programs
- The backyard chickens public meeting has been postponed
- Skilled Trades Expo
- Capital One open house
- Advisory committees of council
What’s open:
- Town administration centre
- Minesing fire station
- Council meetings
- Committee of adjustment
Tay Township
What’s closed:
- All recreation facilities and programs
- Tay Township Public Library
What’s open:
- Municipal office
Tiny Township
What’s closed/cancelled:
- All recreation programs
- Lafontaine Community Centre
- Tiny Township Community Centre
- Wyebridge Community Centre
- Seniors club open house at Le Club de l’Afe d’Or has been postponed
- The senior symposium has been postponed
- Several committees of council meetings
What’s open:
- Council meetings
- Committee of adjustment meetings
Wasaga Beach
What’s closed:
- All non-essential municipal operations
- RecPlex
- Wasaga Beach Public Library
- Wasaga Beach Arena
- Wasaga Beach Youth Centre
- Wasaga Beach Seniors Active Living Centre
What’s open:
- Wasaga Beach town hall
- Public Works
- Wasaga Beach Fire Services
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