By Pete McIntyre

Vernon cancels spring sports leagues and closes visitor centre

Apr 3, 2020 | 5:45 PM

The City of Vernon has made more changes aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19, and to protect the health of residents and visitors.

A city news release issued late Friday afternoon advised of the cancellation of spring sports leagues, despite city parks and fields remaining open to the public.

The city told Vernon Matters “all league play” has been scrapped to avoid group gatherings and close personal contact.

“Outdoor playgrounds, pickleball courts and blended courts (pickleball and tennis) remain closed until further notice, due to high touch points and an inability to practice physical distancing in these areas,” stated the release.

The city has also closed the Vernon Visitor Information Centre as of Friday afternoon until further notice, due to B.C.’s recommendation that residents avoid all non-essential travel.

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April 3, 2020 News (City news release)

As the City of Vernon continues to respond to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and follow the directives of provincial and federal health authorities, more changes have been made to help protect the health of our citizens and visitors.

Spring league play

Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s Provincial Health Officer, strongly encourages all of us to continue getting fresh air and exercise, if we are healthy and able to leave our homes under the current circumstances.

In response to Dr. Henry’s recommendation, City parks and fields remain open so citizens have a public space to get outdoors and to exercise while having room to practice physical distancing. However, where it is difficult to maintain a physical distance of at least 2m between people, some changes have been made.

Spring league play has been cancelled in Vernon to avoid group gatherings and close personal contact. Recreation Services staff will be notifying all leagues that are impacted by this change and will provide updates as they become available.

Outdoor playgrounds, Pickleball courts and blended courts (Pickleball and tennis) remain closed until further notice, due to high touch points and an inability to practice physical distancing in these areas.

Bylaw Officers are monitoring public facilities that remain open and are providing information to individuals who are not practicing physical distancing. However, it is important to note Bylaw Officers are not authorized to issue fines or detain individuals if members of the public choose to ignore Public Health Orders.

Public washrooms

As of April 6, three permanent public washrooms will be opened for the spring and summer season. These include the washrooms at Kin Beach Park, Paddlewheel Park and Polson Park, which will be open each day from 8:00 am to dusk.

The cleaning schedule for the washrooms noted above has been enhanced to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission and increase sanitation.

The washrooms at Grahame Park, MacDonald Park, Alexis Park, Marshall Fields, DND Ball Diamond and Lakeview Park will remain closed until further notice.

Following the direction of City Council, the public washroom located on 30 Avenue and 35 Street will be open 24 hours/day, and the two porta potties located near the downtown bus terminus will also remain available for public use.

Visitor Information Centre

Dr. Henry has encouraged all B.C. residents to cancel non-essential travel and stay within our own communities as best as possible.

As of today (April 3), the Vernon Visitor Information Centre is closed until further notice. A tourism staff member is still available by phone and email to help with inquiries during normal Visitor Centre business hours (Tuesday – Saturday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm).

For those looking for tourism information in the North Okanagan, please visit www.tourismVernon.com.

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To receive updates from the City of Vernon, subscribe to email updates through our website here. Further, you can receive alerts on mobile devices with our free app, VernonConnect. The app is available on the App Store or Google Play.

Get informed:

Stay informed on the latest COVID-19 information by visiting accurate and reliable information sources:

by Pete McIntyre

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