Municipality of Sioux Lookout responds to provincial COVID-19 shutdown

Tim Brody - Editor

In response to the provincial COVID-19 shutdown which came into effect on Dec. 26, with a few exceptions, all Municipal facilities, including the Recreation Centre and Memoria Arena, were closed to walk-in traffic on Dec. 25.
The Municipality shared that the following facilities and accompanying services will continue to be open to the public:
• Sioux Lookout Airport Terminal Building
• Hidden Lake Landfill Site (Dump)
• Biidaaban and Sioux Mountain Children’s Centres will be open as of January 4, 2021.
The Municipality shared through news release that, “The Municipality continues to operate and provide all essential services, and can be reached via telephone or email. Staff will continue to work to provide key services to the public. This closure will last through January 9, 2021. If the Provincial Government extends the “shutdown period” for Northern Ontario beyond January 9th, further information will be communicated to the public.”
The Municipality further informed that Municipal staff will continue to monitor and respond to inquiries and concerns from the public.
The Municipality also informed that the outdoor rinks in Sioux Lookout and Hudson have been closed during this time.
The Municipality clarified, “The Province has stated that certain outdoor recreational activities may be permitted, including outdoor ice rinks, however, the Provincial requirements also state that:
A permitted outdoor recreational amenity may only open if:
Any person who enters or uses the amenity maintains a physical distance of at least two metres from other person using the amenity (excluding members of the same household)
Team sports, or other sports or games where people may come within two metres of each other, are not practiced or played within the amenity.
“This means that the outdoor ice rinks that are maintained by the Municipality on Third Avenue and in Hudson would need to be monitored by staff to ensure compliance with these requirements, and the Municipality doesn’t presently have the capacity to do so.”