TORONTO -- Community centres and indoor pools will reopen next week, the city announced on Wednesday.
"And each time we've had to make use of them or close them for some purpose or other, including the pandemic, we can see that people miss them.
The city's 119 community centres, including 29 which feature indoor pools, will be reopen to the public on July 20.
Amenities available for use include lounges, meeting and multipurpose rooms, computer labs, washrooms, lobbies, and indoor pools for drop-in leisure and lane swim.
"We will also have changes to visitor capacity within the centers and in the pools, and visitors will be screened upon entry," Tory said.
Similar to outdoor pools, capacity will be reduced to 25 per cent to ensure physical distancing and swimmers will be limited to 45-minute sessions. Meanwhile, a maximum of 10 people will be permitted in any community room.
"These are the kinds of requirements we've seen successfully employed in our outdoor pools. I think it's working quite well again to protect public health."
Gymnasiums, fitness and active areas, including walking tracks, kitchens, saunas and whirlpools, and studios, will not be available for use as those amenities fall under the province's Stage 3, which the city is still not a part of.
The centres will also not be allowed to host indoor sports, fitness, wellness activities, singing and dancing, food preparation or distribution, dining, and activities where equipment or supplies are passed or shared among the participants, including cards, chess and dominoes.
"We are restricting these activities so that people can remain safe and healthy and so that when these centers open again … they stay open and don't have to be closed down again," Tory said.
"It's the right thing to do to stop the spread of this virus."
As several community centres are being used as camps, some locations will have limited daytime hours to prevent people from mixing in with the children who are at camp.
"The unfortunate closing of the centres during the height of the pandemic impacted the lives of many people in our city," Tory said.
"I know that people are eagerly waiting for them to open back up so they can have a place to go."
