The City of Delta will be taking a cautious, conservative approach when it comes to its re-openings.
That’s according to a report to council this week on the BC Restart Plan as cases of COVID-19 decline.
On May 25, the provincial government announced the start of the provincial plan, a four-step plan to carefully resume activities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first step saw a relaxation of rules for personal gatherings, organized gatherings, travel, businesses, offices, workplaces and sports and exercise.
The second step was June 15, while Step 3 is slated for July 1 and Step 4 being Sept. 7.
City manager Sean McGill said Delta will need clarification on what’s going to be allowed and what’s not as each new provincial health order is announced.
Step 2 this week saw, among other things, outdoor personal gatherings of up to 50 people allowed, as well as indoor organized gatherings of up to 50 people, high-intensity indoor fitness classes with reduced capacity, indoor team games of all ages with no spectators and outdoor sports being allowed to have up to 50 spectators.
“We are now in a position to be carefully transitioning into the final stage of our plan,” said McGill. “Some adjustments in response to BC's Restart Plan will be easier for the City to make than others, and as we have done all along through the pandemic, staff will be taking a cautious, conservative approach. Staff are also challenged with the uncertainty of when we will be moving to the next step as introducing new programming and changing facility uses takes time and has staffing considerations.
“As such, it will be very difficult to make adjustments to operations at the soonest possible date as set out in BC's Restart Plan. We will continue to take a measured approach that ensures staff safety is paramount and that we have the capacity to deliver the program or service to the community at the high level that is expected of us.”
Step 3 of Delta’s plan will see a gradual return to staffing levels and all in-person services at city hall.
However, the report notes once guidelines and further direction from the provincial health officer are received, a more definitive timeline will be developed.
As far as opening up council meetings, public hearings and other meetings to the public, the proposed timing will be brought forward to council for consideration once the updated guidance is available, the report notes.
Meanwhile, when it comes to increasing capacity and recreation programs at facilities, it is expected that pre-registration will continue through the summer in order to manage total capacity as staff will take a precautionary approach.
While there has been a shift to virtual services and programs, a number of recreational programs have already been taking place over the past 10 months.
There have been more than 227,000 registered drop-in visits to Delta's facilities since July 31, 2020 and there have been no COVID-19 transmissions linked to public use of Delta's recreational facilities, the report adds.
When it comes to Delta reopening seniors’ centre, it’s expected the soonest date for those openings will be this fall.
Formal opening ceremonies for the North Delta Centre for the Arts and the Douglas J. Husband Discovery Centre may also not be possible until fall.
The report states that prior to that time, the public use of those facilities and the Tsawwassen Arts Centre will be evaluated as provincial health orders are updated.
Delta libraries have been open for a while, but BC's Restart Plan will allow for increased capacity and eventually the return of public use of meeting spaces and rooms, but no anticipated dates have been provided yet.
When it comes to festivals and other Delta events, all in-person events from January through to the end of August have been cancelled or moved to a virtual format.
“The Restart Plan sets out an earliest possible date of July 1 for the return of festivals and events. As previously noted, this is a conditional start date, and while staff share the interest and excitement from the community, the logistics and resources required to safely and effectively deliver many of these events require certainty and more time than what is currently contemplated,” notes McGill in his report. “As such, staff recommend that we continue with our current plan and evaluate in the coming months the potential for resuming some events this fall subject to continuing on the positive trajectory of reduced case numbers and meeting vaccination targets.”
