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What city services are affected by new restrictions?

Barrie’s recreation facilities and 55+ Centres will be closed starting Jan. 5, while library branches remain open with capacity limits
BarrieToday Staff
2021-03-24 NC Barrie City Hall4
Barrie City HallNikki Cole/BarrieToday

NEWS RELEASE
CITY OF BARRIE
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The Government of Ontario has announced further COVID-19 restrictions for the entire province, effective at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, for at least 21 days (until Jan. 26), subject to trends in public health and health system indicators.

This is a return to the modified version of the province’s step two of the Roadmap to Reopen.

The new measures announced by the province include the following:

  • Schools will move to remote learning until at least Jan. 17.
  • Reducing social gathering limits to five people indoors and 10 people outdoors.
  • Capacity limited at organized public events to five people indoors.
  • Businesses and organizations are required to ensure employees work remotely unless the nature of their work requires them to be on-site.
  • Indoor dining will be closed at restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments. Outdoor dining with restrictions, takeout, drive through and delivery is permitted.
  • The sale of alcohol is restricted after 10 p.m. and the consumption of alcohol on-premise in businesses or settings after 11 p.m. with delivery and takeout, grocery/convenience stores and other liquor stores exempted.
  • Capacity limits at indoor weddings, funerals, and religious services, rites and ceremonies limited to 50 per cent capacity of the particular room. Outdoor services are limited to the number of people that can maintain two metres of physical distance. Social gatherings associated with these services must adhere to social gathering limits.
  • Retail settings, including shopping malls, permitted at 50 per cent capacity. For shopping malls, physical distancing will be required in line-ups, loitering will not be permitted, and food courts will be required to close.
  • Personal care services permitted at 50 per cent capacity and other restrictions.
  • Indoor meeting and event spaces closed with limited exceptions. Outdoor spaces to remain open with restrictions.
  • Indoor sport and recreational fitness facilities closed including gyms, except for athletes training for the Olympics and Paralympics and select professional and elite amateur sport leagues. Outdoor facilities are permitted to operate but with the number of spectators not to exceed 50 per cent occupancy and other requirements.
  • Indoor concert venues, theatres, and cinemas closed. Rehearsals and recorded performances permitted with restrictions. For a full list of restrictions and closures, review the province’s media release.

What does this mean for Barrie residents?

Below is a list of affected city services. The city’s parks, trails and outdoor rinks remain open to provide safe outdoor recreation opportunities for residents.

City Hall:

  • City Hall remains closed to the public, except for pre-booked appointments through the city's customer service centre, Service Barrie. Residents must call 705-726-4242 to book an appointment. Residents are encouraged to continue to use the city's online services to easily apply for small building permits, pay for parking or speeding tickets, and more.

City recreation facilities:

  • The city’s recreation facilities and 55+ Centres will be closed starting Jan. 5. In-person registered recreational programming will be delayed by three weeks. Staff will be reaching out to participants with new start dates.
  • Some athletes who meet the provincial criteria will be accommodated at city facilities as per the provincial guidance for professional and elite amateur sport.
  • Online virtual programs such as fitness classes will continue. Learn more and register at play.barrie.ca.
  • The city’s outdoor rinks, trails and parks will remain open. The Circle at the Centre rink at City Hall and the Centennial Park outdoor rink are open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., weather permitting. Skaters are required to follow safety procedures when using outdoor rinks. More information and updates are available here: barrie.ca/rinks.

City theatre:

  • The city’s Five Points Theatre will be open for rehearsing or recording under provincial regulations, but will be closed for performances effective January 5.

Development services:

  • The planner of the day is available to answer planning related questions online or by phone only. Email [email protected] or call 705-726-4242.

Barrie Public Library:

  • Both Barrie Public Library branches remain open for browsing, borrowing and computer use. Capacity is limited to 50 people Downtown and 25 people at Painswick.
  • Visits are limited to a maximum of 60 minutes.
  • Express pickup is available for low-contact pickup of library materials and returns are accepted 24/7 through the outdoor return slots.
  • Residents can print their vaccination receipt for free at the library (but no lamination is available).
  • Rapid COVID tests are NOT available from the library at this time.

For the most up-to-date information on the status of city services, visit barrie.ca/services.

The city encourages residents to support local. To learn more about the supports available to businesses through the pandemic, visit barrie.ca/SupportforBusiness.

For detailed and up-to-date information on the local vaccination plan, visit the health unit's website.

Additional Resources:

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