News Release - May 21, 2020

COVID-19 Update for Parksville Residents

The City of Parksville is working to safely reopen facilities that were closed to avoid the spread of COVID-19, using a carefully planned, phased approach following provincial health guidelines. The City has been working with the various provincial organizations to ensure a safe return to these activities in Phase 2.

City offices - we are targeting to reopen our offices on Monday, June 1, reopening with new ways to offer services which meet provincial guidelines and provide for the safety of our staff and visitors. Detailed information about reopening of City offices to the public and what the public can expect will be released early next week

Council meetings - members of the public are welcome to attend Council meetings in the Forum starting with the next meeting on Monday, June 1 at 6 pm. We will limit the number of members of the public attending the meeting and physical distancing restrictions will be in place for Council, staff and the public. We are required to meet the requirements and guidelines set by the office of the Provincial Health Officer, especially as it pertains to gatherings of less than fifty and the ongoing requirement to physically distance while using City facilities.

Updates will be posted to the City's website, Let's Talk Parksville and social media channels.

Reopening of City sports courts - in addition to the off-leash dog park and skate park, the tennis courts in Springwood Park and the sports courts and lacrosse box in the Parksville Community Park will reopen on May 22 for casual use only. In accordance with provincial guidance, there is no organized team play, training camps or competitive tournaments permitted at this time. Residents are encouraged to view the ViaSport BC website for information about the various sports sectors.

When using a City facility, please review and obey any posted signage instructions prior to starting activities. Practice physical distancing, wash and sanitize hands often and be mindful of others around you. Users must keep gatherings small with no congregating. When using the sports courts, keep in mind:

• Courts are for casual play only, not organized teams.
• Limit play to single or doubles with partners from the same household.
• Clearly mark equipment and refrain from touching other people's items.
• Do not share racquets, water bottles or any other sports equipment.

The following public facilities remain closed at this time.

• City offices remain closed to the public. We are working towards a June 1 reopening which will meet provincial guidelines and provide for the safety of our staff and visitors.
• In the Parksville Community Park, the playground, outdoor gym, splash park, sports fields and sand volleyball courts remain closed.
• Foster Park and Shelly Creek Park playgrounds remain closed.

Guidelines for play may be viewed on the City's website and we encourage users of the courts to review the guidelines prior to play.

CITY REMINDERS

City Operations

Services continue to operate and while our offices remain closed to the public, contact us by phone or email. Our main phone number is 250 248-6144 and email info@parksville.ca. Direct department contact information is available on the City's website.

Public Engagement and Communications Survey

Through an online survey, the City is seeking input from residents to determine if there is an interest in engaging with us on projects. The link to the survey, open until June 7, is provided here and may be accessed from the website and our public engagement platform, Let's Talk Parksville. If you wish to have a paper copy of the survey mailed to you, call 250 248-6144. Please direct questions to communications@parksville.ca.

Let's Talk Parksville

The City's online engagement platform, Let's Talk Parksville, is where we have provided a comprehensive list of resources as support for residents and businesses to help navigate the overwhelming amount of information about the COVID -19 pandemic. We understand it may be difficult to navigate through the available information and hope this page provides a reliable list of web pages and links for your reference. Please check back often as new and updated resources are posted regularly. As well, we offer an e-newsletter through Let's Talk Parksville. letstalkparksville.ca/covid-19.

Parksville and District Chamber of Commerce

Passing along information from the Parksville Chamber:

REBOUND OCEANSIDE - a recovery plan was created for businesses and not-for-profit organizations in the Parksville-Qualicum Beach/School District 69 region to assist businesses through the crisis and minimize the negative impacts of an economic shut down. This program is supported by the Province of British Columbia, WorkSafe BC and the Parksville & Qualicum Chambers of Commerce. https://www.workpqb.com/rebound-oceanside/business-recovery-plan

VISITOR CENTRES - The Chamber visitor centres will open for business on June 1. The gift shop features the works of local artisans and authors and have road and weather information and a great selection of brochures and publications.

For more information:

Deb Tardiff, Manager of Communications

dtardiff@parksville.ca; 250 954-3073