Communities in Southern Ontario are preparing for the province-wide lockdown and what it will mean to residents following Doug Ford’s announcement Monday afternoon.
The ‘provincewide shutdown’, which will put every region in the grey level of the COVID-19 response framework, begins on Dec. 26 and will last at least until Jan. 22, 2021.
A number of mayors and municipal officials, who seemed to be preparing for the move, made announcements to clarify exactly which services would be affected over the next month.
Here’s what officials in Hamilton, Niagara, and Halton Region had to say and what they want you to know:
Hamilton
Hamilton’s emergency operations director Paul Johnson called Monday “a sobering day” and encouraged residents to rethink their immediate holiday and winter plans.
“Right now, during this next period of time, it’s really important that you’re only coming out if it’s absolutely essential,” Johnson said.
“There may be a couple of times where that’s necessary from a municipal service perspective.”
Johnson said the second lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic will see a few different things when it comes to regulations for residents and businesses over the next month.
“And so we’ll be looking at those and having to put out some information just so people are clear about that as the week goes on,” Johnson said.
City services like transit and recreation as well as hospital visits and education will see changes. Here’s what to expect:
City Hall
Appointments are now required to access city-run services at City Hall or other municipal service centres. That includes the provincial offences office, animal services, and licensing. Access to most Hamilton services are available online at the city of Hamilton website or by calling 905-546-CITY (2489).
HSR Buses
HSR buses are for essential travel only for workers and those who need to travel during the lockdown. There are no free or extended services for New Year’s Eve. The HSR will operate on a regular weekday schedule on Dec. 31.
Recreation
Indoor recreation programming and municipal rec centres are closed.
Outdoor rinks will see extended hours for ice skating, open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Reservations are required and can be booked online on the city’s website. Washrooms will be closed at all sites.
In the event of a cold-weather alert during lockdown, the city has implemented contingency plans to ensure that community warming centres are available. That includes potentially opening nine recreation centres, as well as Hamilton Public Library branches and the availability of community drop-in programs.
Attractions
Museums are closed. The Gage Park greenhouses are also closed.
The Hamilton Farmer’s Market will be open with reduced hours 9 a.m to 4 p.m on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. The Market will also be open Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will be closed on Christmas Day.
Waste Management
Green bin, garbage, and recycling will not be impacted by the lockdown, but there will be no collection on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day. Pickup will be one day later if it falls on or after the holiday. The city says all materials must be at the curb by 7 a.m.
Schools
Publicly funded and private elementary and secondary schools will move to teacher-led remote learning when students return from the winter break on January 4, 2021. Elementary school students are scheduled to return to in-person learning on January 11, while secondary school students will continue learning remotely until January 25, at which point they may resume in-person learning.
Winter term classes for McMaster University are scheduled to begin on Jan. 11 and will continue to be delivered remotely as scheduled. A small number of courses have approved in-person components. Students who have courses with an in-person component scheduled for the Winter term will be contacted by their instructors about any changes to course activities in January. The university’s research directives, which went into effect with Hamilton going into lockdown Dec. 21, will now remain in place until at least Jan. 23.
Hospitals
Hamilton’s hospitals are not allowing visitors in outpatient clinics and day surgery, except in some special circumstances. In those cases, pre-approval from a unit or clinic manager is required.
Library
HPL branches are open for holds pickup, computer access, and use of printers, scanners, fax, and Makerspace services. Browsing of shelves is not permitted and visits are limited to two hours.
Burlington
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Following the premier’s declaration of a province-wide lockdown, Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed-Ward agreed that current lockdown measures in some GTHA municipalities were clearly “not sufficient” and acknowledged the need for more measures to stop the spread.
“Our staff will continue to work from home serving residents, and we have established safety protocols for those staff required to be on-site,” said Meed Ward.
Here’s how city services will be affected in Burlington during the lockdown:
City Hall
Starting Jan. 4, 2021, City Hall will accept in-person service by appointment only for commissioning services and marriage licences. Walk-ins are not permitted. Service Burlington is available to answer questions by phone during regular business hours at 905-335-7777 and through email at city@burlington.ca.
Burlington Transit
Transit will continue to run as scheduled, including specialized transit. The transit terminal at John St. will remain open.
Court Services
Counter services at Palladium Way will remain open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday to Friday.
Recreation
Burlington indoor recreation facilities will close, and all programs are cancelled. Residents are encouraged to remain active by accessing outdoor recreation opportunities such as walking or biking on trails or visiting parks and playgrounds.
Rotary Centennial Pond is open for skating, but all users must pre-register and complete the online screening.
Hospitals
Halton region hospitals are not allowing visitors in outpatient clinics, emergency, and day surgery except in some special circumstances. In those cases, pre-approval from a unit or clinic manager is required. Oncology and medical daycare are limited to one adult visitor in exceptional circumstances only. Paediatric outpatients are permitted to have one parent or caregiver. Inpatient units are allowed up to two caregivers with conditions. Labour and delivery allows for one care partner.
Library
Libraries are open for in-branch holds and pick-up only. No browsing collections and no computer or printer use will be permitted.
Oakville
Oakville Mayor Rob Burton supported the province’s decision to enact a general lockdown and told constituents to assume the virus is all around the region.
“If we all pull together, I am optimistic this lockdown can have far better results than the previous four-week lockdowns in Toronto, Peel, and York Regions,” Burton said.
“Oakville’s hospital has been supporting those communities whose hospitals have been unable to keep up with their surge of COVID-19 patients. Clearly, the virus is spreading so fast now that these new measures are needed.”
Here’s how city services will be affected in Oakville during the lockdown:
Town Hall
The Service Oakville counter at the town hall will remain open during regular hours. Marriage licences and commissions will be offered in-person by appointment only.
Recreation
Community centres including pools, fitness centres and arenas in Oakville are closed. All indoor recreation and culture programs, memberships and rental permits will be cancelled as of Saturday.
Trafalgar Park outdoor skating rink is open for pre-booked 45-minute time slots to control capacity limits.
Nordic walking, guided hikes, and a variety of outdoor fitness programs are being offered through the town’s website.
Attractions
The Oakville Museum is now closed. The Centre for Performing Arts also remains closed for live performances.
Library
The Oakville Public Library will offer adjusted services, including online programming and library takeout.
Oakville Transit
Oakville transit buses are for essential travel only for workers and those who need to travel during the lockdown. The service is running on modified schedules during the pandemic, which can be seen on the Oakville Transit website.
Schools
Publicly funded and private elementary and secondary schools will move to teacher-led remote learning when students return from the winter break on January 4, 2021. Elementary school students are planned to return to in-person learning on January 11, while secondary school students will continue learning remotely until January 25, at which point they may resume in-person learning.
St. Catharines
St. Catharines mayor Walter Sendzik called the lockdown a “necessary measure” in light of rising cases in the second wave of the pandemic.
“I am sure this was a difficult decision by Premier Ford – but it is the only way to put a hard stop to an escalation in cases that is straining on our health care system and putting lives at risk,” Sendzik said.
Following the statement, the city announced an adjustment to operations at a number of facilities. They include:
City Hall
Access to services at city hall, such as customer service, will continue to be available by appointment only or by remote. Appointments can be booked through the city’s website.
Attractions
All city-run museums are closed, including the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre.
The farmer’s market will be open only on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and masks are required.
Recreation
Arenas, community centres, older adult centres, aquatic centres, and public libraries are all closed, and all in-person recreational programming is cancelled. Online virtual programs will continue to be offered.
St. Catharines Transit
St. Catharines will have regular bus service but the city is calling for essential travel only.
Library
Libraries will offer curbside pick up and access to computer service by appointment only.
Schools
Publicly funded and private elementary and secondary schools will move to teacher-led remote learning when students return from the winter break on January 4, 2021. Elementary school students are planned to return to in-person learning on January 11, while secondary school students will continue learning remotely until January 25, at which point they may resume in-person learning.
Brock University classes will move online until further notice, with the exception of a small number of programs allowed under the provincial framework. Brock’s nursing program will have some exceptions.
Niagara College will move to fully online delivery for the first 2 weeks (Jan. 11 – 22) of classes in the winter. Some programs will run on-campus in January including some medical care, construction and support worker programs. Others will continue exclusively online.
Hospitals
Niagara Health hospitals are limiting visitors to just those who accompany patients in life-altering circumstances, in the event of a mental health crisis, and at end of life.
Niagara Falls
The city of Niagara Falls announced that a majority of facilities will be closed during the lockout. They include:
City Hall
City Hall on Queen Street will be closed until further notice. Development plans and payments can be made by cheque through the City Hall dropbox. Staff will remain available online and over the phone.
Recreation
The MacBain Community Centre and Gale Centre (including the walking tracks) are both closed.
All outdoor recreational amenities including playgrounds, trails, skating rinks, ball hockey surfaces, and select tennis courts will remain open, weather permitting. The city is advising that residents must use at your own risk.
Gale Centre will now operate as a warming centre during cold weather alerts.
Attractions
All city-run museums are closed, including the Niagara Falls History Museum.
The farmer’s market will be open only on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and masks are required.
Library
Libraries will offer curbside pick, holds pick-up, print pick-up, and virtual programs.
Schools
Publicly funded and private elementary and secondary schools will move to teacher-led remote learning when students return from the winter break on January 4, 2021. Elementary school students are planned to return to in-person learning on January 11, while secondary school students will continue learning remotely until January 25, at which point they may resume in-person learning.
Recreation
Arenas, community centres, older adult centres, aquatics, public libraries, and in-person recreational programming are cancelled. Online virtual programs will continue to be offered.
Niagara Falls Transit
Levels of service will not change, but only essential trips are allowed. Regular size buses are limited to 20 passengers each. There will be no free or extended services on New Year’s Eve.
Hospitals
Niagara Health hospitals are limiting visitors to just those who accompany patients in life-altering circumstances, in the event of a mental health crisis, and at end of life.
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