The Vancouver Park Board announced Friday that it will begin resuming public programming at all eight of its arenas next Saturday, Nov. 7, in cooperation with local community centre associations.
While the rinks first opened for use by organized leagues and other permit holders earlier this fall, the Park Board stated in a release that it now has "the necessary protocols in place to safely reopen for public use."
That includes drop-in programs like family skating, seniors skating, figure skating and more, with available time slots ranging from 45 to 60 minutes.
Programming will be offered at Britannia, Hillcrest, Kerrisdale, Killarney, Kitsilano, Sunset, Trout Lake and West End arenas beginning Nov. 7, while Killarney and Trout Lake rinks will also begin offering skating lessons the following day.
According to the Park Board, registration for each drop-in program will open three days in advance, and will give visitors the option to of signing up with their Flexipass, a 10-visit pass, or a single-day fee. Twenty per cent of spots will remain open for on-site drop-ins the day of.
Patrons should come to the rink dressed ready for their activity, and Park Board staff ask that they arrive no more than 15 minutes before their designated ice time. Lockers will not be available, and participants will have 15 minutes at the end of a session or lesson to take off their skates and exit, in order to give staff enough time to clean and prepare for the next group.
Other COVID-19 safety measures being implemented include limiting the number of people who can use an ice surface at a time, disinfecting high-touch areas regularly, along with rental skates and helmets after each use (skate and helmet rentals will not be available for stick and puck sessions) and limiting skating lessons to just four instructors on the ice at a time, with a one-to-four instructor-to-student ratio.
Patrons are strongly encouraged to wear a face mask or covering in the facility and to regularly wash their hands. Spectators will not be allowed inside the arenas, and patrons are required to stay home if they are feeling sick.
This is the latest step in the Park Board's phased reopening of its facilities, since shutting down earlier this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Board began reopening community centres across the city at the beginning of September, swiftly followed by a phased reopening of eight indoor pools, eight ice rinks, and 14 fitness centres in the subsequent weeks.
For more information, head to vancouver.ca/ParkBoardRestart.
