City of Burlington Closures and Cancellations Update

COVID-19
Written By

*Please see the following update from the City of Burlington regarding the announcement of closures and cancellations.Burlington, Ont.—March 14, 2020— Earlier today, Halton Region Public Health confirmed a third case of COVID-19 in Halton Region, a resident of Burlington.While Halton Region Health Department advises the risk of contracting the virus remains low for individuals in Halton, the City of Burlington continues to take appropriate action to prioritize the health and well-being of our community and staff.Today, the City’s Crisis Management team dealt with a number of items tied directly to our overriding goal of keeping the public and staff safe and minimizing the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

"I want to extend a sincere thank you to all our local boards and community partners who took quick action to do the right thing and temporarily close their facilities consistent with the City’s actions yesterday. We all have a role to play in protecting our collective health and well-being and these swift actions will aid in preventing the spread of illness in our community. The Crisis Management Team is meeting daily to monitor the COVID-19 situation, including the redeployment of staff and resources from facilities that are currently closed to support other essential City services. I want to recognize the dedication and commitment of the entire City staff team to maintain our services during this very challenging and rapidly changing situation." — Tim Commisso, Burlington City Manager

UPDATE ON WHAT'S OPEN AND CLOSED:In the last 24 hours, decisions have been made by the City and multiples boards, agencies, organizations and public facilities to close their doors in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. These locations currently include:

LOCATION STATUS
Aldershot BIA Office closed, online services available
All publicly funded schools in Ontario Closed
Art Gallery of Burlington Closed
Burlington Chamber of Commerce Office closed, online services available
City of Burlington - Animal Services Animal Shelter closed to the public, includes tours, visits, pet adoptions, volunteering and the microchip clinic scheduled for March 21, 2020 (this clinic will be rescheduled)Animal services that will continue to be provided:
  • Care of animals in the shelter
  • Accepting stray animals; and animals people are unable to keep as the result of being hospitalized**
  • Delivery of stray animals to owners**
  • Dead animal pick-up and sick/injured wildlife calls
  • Bylaw investigations
  • Assisting the police

**Please use the drop box at the rear of the shelter or arrange a time for an exchange at the requestor’s residenceIf you have any questions, please contact the shelter by calling 905-335-3030 during regular business hours or email AnimalShelter.Mailbox@burlington.ca
City of Burlington – City Council meetings and smaller public meetings Under review – more information to be shared
City of Burlington - Citizen Advisory Committee meetings Under review – more information to be shared
City of Burlington - City Hall and City services located in 390 Brant St (Sims Square) Open, for City services available online visit Burlington.ca/onlineservices
City of Burlington - City organized, large public meetings and gatherings Cancelled
LOCATION STATUS
City of Burlington – Fire Department OperatingFire halls are not currently accepting members of the public
City of Burlington - parks, trails and outdoor sport fields Open for general access – public washroom facilities in parks are closed for the next three weeks
City of Burlington - Recreation facilities, including March Break programming, areas, pools, community centres and the Seniors Centre Closed for three weeks, from evening of March 13.Organizations and residents with upcoming rentals may cancel or rebook at a future date (pending availability) with no penalty. Please contact rentals@burlington.caFor registrations, including March Break programs please email liveandplay@burlington.ca to withdraw from an upcoming course without penalty, or to withdraw from a course in progress to receive a prorated refund.
City of Burlington - Roads, Parks and Forestry administrative office and operations centre Open
City of Burlington – Transit Facility open and all Transit service fully operating
Burlington Downtown Business Association Office closed, online services available
Burlington Economic Development Closed, online services available
Burlington Libraries Closed, online services available
Burlington Museums Closed
LOCATION STATUS
Burlington Performing Arts Centre All events in the large space are cancelled but studio events are currently running
Halton Court Services Open
Royal Botanical Gardens Closed
TechPlace Office closed, online services available
Tourism Burlington Office closed, online services available
Freeman Station Closed until further notice; bookings, meetings & work at station are cancelled; reevaluating on April 15

Halton Region facility closure update details below:

  • Non-critical meetings are being rescheduled and virtual teleconference capabilities, including Zoom, are being promoted
  • Considering restricting public entrances at Halton Regional Centre and other Regional facilities and implementing screening for all visitors.
  • The Ministry of Health has mandated screening for anyone entering long-term care homes, including residents, visitors, staff and contractors, which has been implemented at the Regional long-term care homes
  • The Ministry of Health has mandated screening for all child care centres. This has been implemented at the Regional child care centres.
  • Social and Community Services is investigating partnerships with community groups to provide social services, including wellness checks and emergency food services for vulnerable people in the community
  • Regional staff are assessing the impact of cancelling Advisory Committee meetings and will provide an update to Regional Council
  • Regional staff are assessing the impact of cancelling or delaying public meetings. Regional staff are also investigating opportunities for more on-line public meetings/consultations

For further COVID-19 information, please visit Halton Region Public Health www.halton.ca/coronavirusContact Halton Region Public Health by calling 311, 905-825-6000 or toll free at 1-866-442-5866 if you have a fever OR cough OR breathing difficulty AND any of the following:

  • travelled outside of Canada in the 14 days before onset of illness; or
  • close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19; or
  • close contact with a person with acute respiratory illness who travelled to affected areas within 14 days prior to their illness onset.

We continue to work closely with Halton Region Public Health and make our decisions based on the latest scientific evidence on COVID-19.View and subscribe to our Health and Safety Notices page to learn about the latest updates on actions taken by the City of Burlington.We thank our residents for their understanding as we address this challenge together. We will continue to share City updates with the public.LINKS AND RESOURCES:

MAYOR MEED WARD'S TAKE:I know the news today of a third confirmed COVID-19 case in Halton Region, another Burlington resident, will be upsetting to our community, and we can expect to hear of more cases in the foreseeable future. That is why we’re taking every precaution we can to keep our community safe, including the closures of our City recreation facilities and programs for the timing being. We’ve compiled a list of all local closures in one place to assist residents. I continue to ask everyone to be mindful of their neighbours and follow the advice of healthcare professionals to reduce the impact of the spread of COVID-19. For the latest updates, please visit bit.ly/mayormeedwardCOVID19updates. To receive up-to-date notices directly to your email, please subscribe to the City of Burlington’s Health and Safety Notices page online.--PLEASE NOTE: To read the Mayor’s statement on what the city is doing regarding COVID-19, please visit this dedicated page, which will be updated daily as new information becomes available.RELATED LINK:

--*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist.

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