With Stage 3 of reopening beginning in Niagara last week, sports and recreational activities have increased.

Under the Stage 3 guidelines, sports and recreation facilities are permitted to open and team sports can resume.

The Town, working with individuals and sports groups, have developed safety measures and approved plans by organizations to safely resume sports and recreational activities in Town facilities such as the Meridian Community Centre as well as outdoor areas such as baseball diamonds and open play spaces. Per the Stage 3 guidelines, gathering limits are in effect and, as always, physical distancing and proper hand hygiene are necessary for preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Facilities for sports and recreational fitness activities

• Examples of facilities for sports and recreational fitness activities include gyms, fitness studios, and community centres.
• Physical distancing must be maintained, except if playing a team sport or as needed for personal training.
• The total number of people permitted in areas containing weights or exercise machines is limited to the number of people that can maintain physical distancing of at least two metres, which cannot exceed the indoor gathering limit of 50 people.
• The total number of people permitted in classes or organized activities at any one time is limited to the number of people that can maintain physical distancing of at least two metres, and cannot exceed the indoor gathering limit of 50 people or the outdoor limit of 100.
• Assigned spaces are strongly recommended for organized fitness classes (e.g., by marking circles on the floor to designate where each person should exercise).
• Gathering limits do not apply in all other areas (e.g., pools, tennis courts and rinks).
• Equipment must be cleaned and disinfected between user sets or at the end of a game.
• Any washrooms, locker rooms, change rooms, showers or similar amenities made available to the public must be cleaned and disinfected frequently.
• Steam rooms and saunas are not yet permitted to open.

Team sports and live sporting events

• Prolonged or deliberate contact while playing sports is not permitted.
• Team sports in which body contact between players is either an integral component of the sport or commonly occurs while engaged in the sport (e.g., wrestling, judo) are not yet permitted, unless the approach can be modified to prevent prolonged or deliberate physical contact.
• Amateur and recreational sports leagues may resume so long as they do not allow prolonged or deliberate physical contact between players or if they have modifications to avoid physical contact between players.
• Leagues must contain no more than 50 participants in total. If participants in a league exceed 50, the league may divide into smaller groups of no more than 50. Players are not yet permitted to play against players outside of their league or group.
• Spectators at all sporting events, including professional sports, will be subject to gathering limits and physical distancing measures, with assigned seating where possible.

For more information on the Town’s response to COVID-19, visit: www.pelham.ca/covid19

For more information on Stage 3 of reopening, visit: https://www.ontario.ca/page/framework-reopening-our-province-stage-3

For questions about bylaws, operations, and whether your team can submit a plan for resumption, call 905-892-2607 x201.