New Westminster, BC – The City of New Westminster is pleased to begin the phased reopening of recreation facilities with enhanced public safety measures starting September 8. The reopening of recreation facilities and the restoration of services will be approached gradually in alignment with Public Health Orders and in accordance with BC’s Restart Plan, WorkSafeBC, and industry-specific guidelines. While a facility may be reopened to the public, some service offerings or amenities may be limited for the next while.

“Recreation services are an important part of our community’s health and well-being,” said Mayor Jonathan X. Cote. “Staff are working hard to ensure everyone’s safety as we start reopening facilities and we’re excited to see everyone back.”

Services offered this fall have been modified to meet COVID-19 safety requirements. New public health safety measures will be in place at facilities including:

• required advanced registration for all services to help manage facility and program capacity
• time limits on recreation facility visits to help ensure everyone has a chance to play
• signage and directional floor decals to ensure physical distancing and safe movement through facilities
• enhanced cleaning protocols and hand sanitizing stations

The fall Active Living Guide is available at newwestcity.ca/welcome-back. Program registration for New Westminster residents will begin on Tuesday, September 8 at 8:30 am and on Wednesday, September 9 for non-residents. All on-going service reservations will offer residents the ability to book their visit three days in advance of the activity and non-residents will have two days.

Some familiar programs may not be offered in the fall. They are currently under review and will become available at a later date when it is feasible to do so.

Service delivery and policies are subject to change to meet evolving COVID-19 regulations. Specific health measures, services, hours of operation and other details for facilities will be updated at newwestcity.ca/welcome-back.

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Contact:

Steve Kellock
Senior Manager, Recreation
New Westminster Parks and Recreation
604.527.4629