Penticton closing public facilities, cancelling meetings due to pandemic

The City of Penticton is shutting a number of public facilities in a bid to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The City announced in a new release the closure of the Penticton Community Centre, Cleland Theatre, McLaren Arena, the Library and Museum, the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre, Memorial Arena and South Okanagan Events Centre will close to the public tomorrow, March 17.

The closures will remain in place until April 6, prior to which the City will re-evaluate to see if the closures are to remain in place or be lifted.

“The decision follows warnings from the provincial government to avoid mass gatherings of 50 people or more. We have reviewed the advice provided (by) senior governments concerning mass gatherings and have determined that the volume of traffic entering our facilities, combined with the difficulty of practising the safe social distancing once inside, has created a situation where it is in our community’s best interest to close these facilities until April 6,” City manager Donny van Dyk said the press release.

Residents are also being urged to phone or email staff to conduct business, rather than visiting City Hall.

The City also announced cancellation of tomorrow’s March 17 regular council meeting. A number of committee meetings and public engagement events have also been cancelled, further details of which can be found on the City’s website here.

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