File photo of a sign inside of Lethbridge City Hall (Lethbridge News Now)

By Justin Goulet

City of Lethbridge lays out plans for easing of restrictions Monday, Feb. 8

Feb 5, 2021 | 9:32 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The City of Lethbridge says not all of its recreation and culture facilities will be reopened on Monday.

The province announced late last month that some COVID-19 restrictions will be eased on Feb. 8.

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The City of Lethbridge said on Friday that after evaluating the new “Step 1” guidelines, which include one-on-one training with certified instructors, staff will maintain ice at the ATB Centre, working directly with community groups who are permitted to run this training.

The ENMAX Centre will also remain open to support the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes.

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All other City of Lethbridge arenas and pools operated by Recreation Excellence, will stay closed for the time being.

“Since Step 1 guidelines only allow one-on-one training opportunities and easing of current restrictions to the broader public could be months away, we have made the difficult decision to keep many of our facilities closed,” said Robin Harper, the city’s General Manager of Recreation and Culture.

“The operational costs to keep these facilities open is not feasible given the current restrictions.”

Pools and arenas have been closed to the public since December 8. As well, community groups such as minor hockey teams, figure skating and other team sports, have not been allowed on the ice or in pools since November 12.

“This has been an incredibly difficult time for all of the staff who work in our recreation and culture area, including our staff in the facilities,” Harper added.

“Typically, these folks are enjoying one of the busiest parts of the season, interacting with residents and bringing recreation opportunities to the community every day. This year we’ve had to enforce rules that the public often didn’t understand and unfortunately deny kids and families the activities that they love. We understand the importance of these closures, but it has been disheartening just the same.”

The following City of Lethbridge facilities will evaluate re-opening as more details and dates are announced by the province, in relation to future public health measures:

• Recreation Excellence-operated pools
• Fritz Sick gymnasium
• Yates Theatre

The city added that due to the variation in public health guidelines, residents are encouraged to reach out to other facilities directly if they have specific questions about their programming and re-opening plans. These facilities include:

• Helen Schuler Nature Centre
• YMCA of Lethbridge
• Lethbridge Library
• Galt Museum and Archives/Fort Whoop-Up
• CASA
• Multicultural Centre – Southern Alberta Ethnic Association
• Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden

For more details on how the city is tackling COVID-19, visit lethbridge.ca, and more information on provincial guidelines is available via the Government of Alberta website here.