WINDSOR, ONT. -- People entering municipal ice arenas in Chatham-Kent are being asked to show photo identification.
Staff are checking for a Chatham-Kent address now that the arenas are no longer accepting any ice rentals from new clients outside the municipality.
Adult skating, Tiny Tot Skating and discounted ice is available now to only Chatham-Kent residents.
“We’re trying to respect health orders,” Don Shropshire CAO of Chatham-Kent said.
Shropshire says the municipality will honour existing bookings from outside the area until the end of year but asks people to consider ways to prevent spreading COVID-19.
Chatham-Kent officials worry skaters from outside the area will turn to their ice arenas, as recreational facilities begin to close in Essex County.
“Windsor Essex is teetering on full lockdown,” points out Dr. David Colby, medical officer of health for Chatham-Kent.
Currently the jurisdiction remains under Yellow Protect under the provinces COVID-19 response framework, while Windsor and Essex County is under Red Control.
Colby says the precaution is necessary as there is a shared responsibility.
“We're all in this together and doesn't do any good for that to spill into our area,” adds Colby.
There are 39 active cases of COVID-19, in Chatham-Kent with one person in hospital and one institution is in outbreak.
A second staff member at Riverview Gardens tested positive on Wednesday which Colby said was unrelated to the case reported on Dec. 1.
Health officials linked the first case at the long-term care home to a close contact but they continue to investigate the second case.
