The City of Thompson recreation department is speaking with users of the Thompson Regional Community Centre arenas about options to restart programming while complying with current public health orders.
Ways to make the TRCC fitness centre accessible while still providing adequate separation from the gym itself, which is the site of a COVID-19 vaccination super site, are also being explored.
In a Feb. 19 press release, the city said that public health orders limit indoor ice rink programming to one-on-one instruction. Only one person for each person receiving instruction can enter the facility to observe the instruction and the total number of participants can not exceed 25 per cent of the arena’s usual capacity.
The city is exploring whether the fitness centre can be isolated from the gym with a barrier or by other means, provided it does not prevent adequate ventilation, which is especially important due to a heightened risk of virus transmission when people are exerting themselves and breathing more heavily.
Because an ice plant operator must be present when the walking track in the C.A. Nesbitt is open, it will not be accessible unless the arenas themselves are reopened, the city said.
The city says it will provide an update on the potential reopening once it has had a chance to receive feedback from ice users.
