Limited spectators will be permitted inside Okotoks recreation facilities to assist young children.
To comply with Alberta Health Services guidelines, the Town is allowing one parent or guardian per child 11 years old or younger – born in 2010 or after – into Pason Centennial Arenas or the Okotoks Recreation Centre.
The adult can help children change into shoes or skates for their activity and will then be permitted to watch from a designated, standing-only, spectator area.
“This will enable those with very, very young children to be able to come in and assist those children for their safety,” said Susan Laurin, Okotoks director of community services. “So those spectators are only for those who are very young children and it’s only in areas where there’s actual space and the resources permit that.”
However, due to tight resources and staffing limits, the Town cannot open up to spectators for every sport, user or age group, she said.
At this point, only two organizations – Okotoks Minor Hockey and the Okotoks Figure Skating Club – will be able to have spectators in the building to assist with children because they are willing to provide volunteers to make it happen, she said.
“Those organizations have provided volunteers to be able to help with all the controls, the physical distancing and the numbers of people coming in,” said Laurin. “As well, they’re providing the volunteers to ensure they can sign everybody in because we need to be able to do contact tracing, that’s a requirement of AHS.”
She said it’s the next step in the Town’s gradual opening of its facilities, which is happening over time to ensure safety of staff and residents is maintained while also increasing the numbers of people participating in activities with the financial capacity of the municipality in mind.
Taking it slow is helping the Town get it right, and there are growing pains as it learns from mistakes or hears commentary from the public about things like having help for young children in the dressing room, she said.
Over the next two weeks, the Town will work with user groups that book gymnasium space for seasons that typically begin in October to try to accommodate any organizations looking for gym time, especially since school facilities will not be open for public bookings this year.
“We’re quite aware of that and it’s part of our staged plan, that over the next two weeks we’re working at developing facility schedules and protocols on how to get those activities that typically start in October in place and we’re doing things step-by-step,” said Laurin.
Everyone inside Okotoks rec facilities must wear a mask in compliance with a bylaw passed by council, which became effective Aug. 24 and requires masking in Town-owned facilities. Children will be permitted to remove their masks when their activity begins.
Leisure ice and public skating remain closed at this time.
For more information visit www.okotoks.ca.
Krista Conrad, OkotoksToday.ca
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