Cobourg, ON (January 4, 2022) – The Town of Cobourg’s Emergency Control Group would like to thank the community for their patience and understanding while the Town reviewed the implications from the recent public health measures announced by the Province of Ontario on January 3, 2022.

In response to recent trends that show a rapid increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations, the Province of Ontario will be returning to the modified version of the Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen, effective Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. for at least 21 days (until January 26, 2022), subject to trends in public health and health system indicators.

The new regulations and tightened restrictions from the modified Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen include the following additional changes to municipal services and programs:

As of January 5, 2022:

• Reducing social gathering limits to five people indoors and 10 people outdoors.
  Limiting capacity at organized public events to five people indoors.
• Limiting capacity at indoor weddings, funerals, and religious services, rites and ceremonies to 50 per cent capacity of the particular room.
• Closing indoor meeting and event spaces with limited exceptions but permitting outdoor spaces to remain open with restrictions.
• Public libraries limited to 50 per cent capacity.
• Closing indoor dining at restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments. Outdoor dining with restrictions, takeout, drive through and delivery is permitted.
• Closing indoor concert venues, theatres, cinemas, rehearsals, and recorded performances permitted with restrictions.
• Closing indoor sport and recreational fitness facilities including gyms.

Changes to Municipal Services and Programs include:

The Cobourg Community Centre is a recreational facility that will be closed beginning Wednesday, January 5, 2022, at 12:01 a.m. until January 26, 2022. The Mass Vaccination Clinic operating out of the centre’s gymnasium will still be operational and is open to those who have booked a vaccination or booster appointment.

The Rotary Harbourfront Outdoor Skating Rink is an amenity that will remain open to the community. All those utilizing the rink must wear a mask and keep physically distanced whenever possible. For those gathering around the rink itself please abide by the reduced social gathering limits of 10 people outdoors.

The Venture13 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre is a meeting and event space facility that will be closed beginning Wednesday, January 5, 2022, at 12:01 a.m. until January 26, 2022. Tenants and members of the facility are still able to access the facility however meeting and event spaces will no longer be available for public bookings.

“Although the New Year isn’t starting the way we would have liked I want to thank our community for their continued efforts to protect themselves and others from the highly transmissible Omicron variant,” said Mayor John Henderson for the Town of Cobourg. “I am asking each of you to please abide by the modified provincial regulations and restrictions and to continue to take everyone’s health and safety seriously.”

For a complete list of the mandatory public health and workplace safety measures please refer to
O. Reg. 263/20 Rules for Areas in Step 2 that apply to certain businesses, organizations, places and individuals.

Stay Informed
For information on municipal programs and service updates visit the Town of Cobourg’s website www.cobourg.ca/covid19.  For local health unit updates visit the HKPRDHU’s website hkpr.on.ca, and for provincial information including public health measures and guidance documents visit covid-19.ontario.ca.

Additional Resources

• Ontario Updating Public Health Measures and Guidance in Response to Omicron
• Updated Eligibility for PCR Testing and Case and Contact Management Guidance in Ontario
• Ontario Further Strengthening Response to Omicron
• All Ontarians 18+ Eligible for COVID-19 Booster Appointments at Three-Month Interval