With the province announcing its reopening plan that will see an end to nearly all public health orders by March 1, Co-op Place will be serving food again by the weekend. Other city-run facilities are also making alterations to protocol.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
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Hatters arrived at city recreation facilities on Wednesday morning no longer required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test to enter.
And they can expect concessions to be open at this weekend’s hockey game at Co-op Place, though administrators were still sorting out how changes to capacity limits announced Tuesday night will affect operations.
“Broadly, the lifting of the restriction exemption program means patrons show up and come into the facility without screening,” said acting city manager Brian Mastel on Wednesday afternoon.
At the same time restrictions on food service to seated patrons at sports or entertainment venues was also removed, though a one-half capacity limit remains in place.
“We’re looking into a number of details, but we’ll have food (at Co-op Place) this weekend,” said Mastel. “We’re already looking into getting our staff recalled and rehired. These are mostly temporary or part-time concession employees, and there will likely be some turnover and we may have to recruit.”
The Tigers are set to host Edmonton in Western Hockey League action on Saturday night.
Changes laid out by the province Tuesday involve three phases, including the immediate end to the “restrictions exemption program” enacted at all city-run public venues. That allowed operations to continue at higher capacity level for vaccinated patrons.
City hall was not an REP facility, but instead limited capacity to one-third fire code figure – a level that Mastel said should be easy to maintain in practice, but not by rule considering normal public visits and existing remote-work protocol for some employees.
That provincial requirement could expire at the end of the month. Mastel said some work-from-home would be retained when cost effective and efficient, but generally staff may return to offices.
As well in Phase 1 of the province’s plan, small venues, both public and private, return to full capacity. Those with a capacity between 500 and 1,000 are still limited to 500, while at the largest venues only one half capacity will be allowed.
Previously officials stated that only Co-op Place was subject to the one-half capacity limit, while the Big Marble Go Centre was considered to be under the limit as it had a number of well-separated encapsulated spaces. Staff members were still monitoring attendance there.
Unless hospitalization, cases or other key statistics change for the worse, capacity limitations would be lifted on March 1, said Premier Jason Kenney.
At the same time work-at-home requests, all masking requirements and limits of the size of social gatherings would cease.
A third phase, without a proposed date, would see all remaining restrictions lifted.
