Get your towels ready.
The province is giving the green light for indoor whirlpools, indoor hot tubs, dry saunas and steam saunas to open.
These facilities had been closed during the COVID-19 pandemic; in July, chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said only outdoor hot tubs and whirlpools were permitted to open.
“To date, we have not seen any cases linked to outdoor hot tubs or whirlpools, which have been opened for several months,” Hinshaw said Thursday afternoon.
“Other provinces, like British Columbia, have already allowed their indoor whirlpools and saunas to safely open without reporting concerns.”
The sites will have to follow the same guidance as swimming pools, such as having capacity limits, posting COVID-19 signage in visible areas and setting up hand sanitizer with at least 60 per cent alcohol throughout the site.
The guidance document posted by the province also states that, where possible, one-way traffic measures should be established and shared equipment should be limited.
However, masks should not be worn in the water or when sitting in whirlpools or steam saunas.
“In these environments, moisture will decrease the mask’s effectiveness and present unnecessary safety risks,” the guidance document reads.
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