The brief closure of a new skate park and pump track in Beamsville has highlighted the confusion that exists around provincial COVID-19 rules.
A Niagara Regional Police officer shut the facility down for about an hour on Sunday, thinking that Ontario’s 25-person private gathering limit applied to the facility.
Michael Kirkopoulos, chief administrative officer (CAO) for the Town of Lincoln, says the restriction does not apply to public parks and they were able to clear up the “misunderstanding.”
Kirkopoulos suggests the officer was “a little overzealous maybe” but “with the best of intentions.”
At the same time, he acknowledges that the incident highlights that “confusion does happen, provincial restrictions are dynamic, they’re changing regularly.”
Kirkopoulos says the park is monitored with physical distancing recommended and face coverings required among users, but he adds that going forward “we’ll have someone there all of the time, just so we don’t get into these situations.”
The misunderstanding happened about 24 hours after a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to officially open Beamsville’s new skate park and pump track.