Canada Day festivities, WI Craft Show fall to COVID-19

With closures extended to July 31, comes cancellation of much-loved County events, including Canada Day festivities and the Women’s Institute’s annual craft show.

The municipality will keep all recreation facilities including the Crystal Palace, arenas, museums and town halls closed to the public until at least Friday, July 31 to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the community.

“I understand community events would go a long way to raising spirits right now, but regrettably we need to hold off at this time,” said Mayor Steve Ferguson. “Our top priority remains the safety and well-being of our residents. The province will not lift restrictions on large public gatherings until the final stage of its reopening plan, which in all likelihood is several months away. We believe it’s in everyone’s best interests to continue with municipal closures at this time.”

The municipality will closely monitor the implementation of provincial stages of recovery announced earlier this week, and decide accordingly whether smaller gatherings can be permitted earlier, or if the closure will extend beyond July 31.

While the decision only applies to municipal facilities, mayor Ferguson is once again calling on private venue operators and event organizers to follow the municipality’s lead.

“Reopening our economy and society must be a slow process. We cannot rush forward and risk creating a spike in cases in our area and overwhelming our health-care system,” he said.