KAWARTHA LAKES – As the cold weather is approaching and many residents will have plans to lace up their skates and head to the local arena, the City of Kawartha Lakes is setting some boundaries to ensure safety as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to evolve.
According to City officials, to ensure the health and safety of the community, cooperation is required from everyone.
Safety measures in place include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Screening before entering the facility
- Physical distancing
- Hand sanitization upon entry and exit of the facility
- Restrictions on the number of users and spectators
- One-way entrance into the facility, individual ice pad and designated exits using directional floor markers to support physical distancing
- Enhanced cleaning of the facility following each ice rental
- No access to the general public
- Designated COVID-19 Representative provided by each ice user group
- Proof of vaccination required to access facilities, for those 12 years of age and older
In order to ensure a safe return to facility utilization the following protocols have been adopted for ice user groups, participants and spectators.
Ice Use Protocols
- Mask/face covering must be worn while in the facility, except for on-ice activity. Bench staff must wear a mask/face covering.
- Follow facility traffic flow plan. Signage and physical distancing markers have been posted.
- It is recommended to arrive no earlier than 10 minutes prior to going on the ice. Depart the facility no longer than 10 minutes after contracted ice time.
- Utilize designated dressing rooms to put equipment on. It is recommended to come partially dressed to reduce time needed in dressing room. Masks must be worn while in the dressing room. Showers are not available.
- No more than 40 participants (including coaches – for practices/try outs) on the ice.
- No more than 10 coaching staff and officials for game situations (e.g. 3 coaching staff per team and 4 on-ice officials).
- Spectators are limited to 2 per on-ice participant (no more than 80 spectators).
- Use designated washroom facilities.
- All user groups must record the name, contact information, screening question answers, and vaccination check of every member of the public who attends (participants, officials, bench staff and spectators) and maintain the record for a period of at least one month.
- Off-ice warm-up activities are not permitted within the facility.
- Dryland training sessions are not permitted on the facility grounds.
It is required that program/league administrators complete a Covid-19 Safety Plan online describing the steps being taken to adhere to all regulations and requirements including distancing and crowd control. The final plan should be shared with all participants including athletes, parents or guardians, coaches, volunteers and spectators.
If it is determined that user groups and their respective participants/members are not adhering to the protocols, the progressive discipline steps detailed below will be followed:
First Offense – Loss of Ice Time – written communication, loss of one ice time for user group at the group’s expense
Second Offense – Loss of Ice Time – written communication, loss of three ice times for user group at the group’s expense
Third Offense – Loss of Ice Time – written communication, loss of five ice times for user group at the group’s expense
Fourth Offense – Ice Booking Privileges Revoked – written communication, loss of booking privileges for at least the remainder of the season.
Officials say there will be zero tolerance.
Progressive discipline penalties may be extended into the future season.
As part of the Ice User protocols each ice user group must appoint one COVID-19 Representative for each rental. If this responsibility is not completed the user group may lose ice booking privileges.
This person is responsible for the following tasks and cannot be on the ice providing instruction:
- Ensure the group is following the Safety Plan.
- Maintain a log of all people who enter the facility, including name, contact information, date and time (includes all participants, spectators, volunteers) to facilitate contact tracing. Perform active screening of participants/people entering facility prior to entry. Record the answers to the screening questions and based on the responses allow people to enter the facility. Retain the log for 30 days after the booking. Please refer to the provincial screening tool https://covid-19.ontario.ca/screening/customer/.
- Ensure everyone entering the facility, aged 12 years and older, are fully vaccinated (two doses plus 14 days) by checking their proof of vaccination and photo ID.
- Ensure all participants utilize the designated entrance and exit.
- Ensure the assigned dressing rooms are used by the participants. Plan to coordinate the participants according to the maximum number of people permitted in a dressing room.
- Ensure the user group is adhering to physical distancing standards.
- Ensure there are no more than 40 on-ice participants.
- Ensure there are no more than 10 coaching staff and officials.
- Ensure there are no more than 80 spectators.
- Ensure each participant/person is wearing a mask as they enter the facility and while in the building excluding while on the ice.
- Ensure the user group is adhering to the ice pad traffic flow plan.
- Plan to have all participants/people ready to enter the building no earlier than 10 minutes prior to going on the ice. Once attendance and screening logs are completed outside of the facility, the group would enter the facility ready to go on the ice.
- Ensure that all participants have vacated the dressing room(s) no later than 10 minutes after the ice time is completed. Loitering in any area of the facility is not permitted.
- Ensure that all municipal and provincial protocols are being followed.
