The Ontario government might allow summer day camps to open in July and August under “strict” health and safety measures as long as trends continue to improve amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Overnight camps, however, will not be permitted all summer.
Government officials made the remarks as they announced that the in-person school year would be cancelled.
The summer camps, both indoor and outdoor, will have to follow “strict” guidelines that will be developed with local public health units, the Ontario Ministry of Labour, and municipalities, officials said.
“We’re going to have strict protocol in place to make sure that the kids are safe because if I don’t feel they’re safe, we just aren’t going to bother opening them up,” Premier Doug Ford said.
“If the numbers aren’t there, we won’t hesitate to close it down.”
Meanwhile, students won’t be returning to class in June. The government said an online learning program will continue.
Child-care centres will remain closed in Ontario during stage one of the recovery, which the province entered on Tuesday. A “gradual” reopening of child-care centres is expected to begin when the province is ready to transition to stage two, officials said.