New Tecumseth may ban residents from COVID hot spots from using rec facilities

If you live in a COVID-19 hotspot like Toronto, York or Peel Region and were thinking of making the drive north to take part in a drop-in recreation program, or to get a workout in at one of the town’s gyms, that might not be an option for much longer.

At the Oct. 19 committee of the whole meeting, New Tecumseth CAO Blaine Parkin asked council to provide input on putting a ban in place.

He said the first step would be to restrict these residents from rec programs and the gyms, but further study would be required to see how a temporary ban would affect the user groups and leagues that have members from other municipalities, or play other teams from those areas.

While council supported this proposal, a report will have to be brought back for further consideration before any restrictions are put into place.

Parkin said the town already has a detailed contact-tracing program in place to track everyone who uses the town’s facilities.

Due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, the City of Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa were rolled back into a modified Stage 2 last week, and York Region was reverted back on Oct. 19.