Ontario Enters Step One of Road to Re-Opening
What This Means for Lincoln and Niagara
Lincoln, ON – (June 11, 2021) – With Step One of the Province’s Roadmap to Reopen underway as of Friday, June 11 at 12:01 a.m., there are some impacts to local service delivery, outdoor activities and gatherings, restaurants and retail.
- Allan F. Gretsinger outdoor pool will open for the season on Saturday, June 12. Pre-registration for aquatic programs, including leisure swims, will open as of 9 a.m. on Friday, June 11.
- Day camps for children are permitted to operate within COVID-19 safety guidelines.
- Registration for summer recreation and culture programs for Lincoln residents continues. Program registration for the general public commences on June 14 at 9 a.m. For a detailed listing of all program offerings, please visit: https://lincoln.ca/playlincoln
- Rentals for outdoor spaces including sports fields and park pavillions is now permitted. Visit our website for more details: https://lincoln.ca/facility-and-rental-information
- Outdoor fitness classes, outdoor groups in personal training and outdoor individual/team sport training to be permitted with up to 10 people, among other restrictions.
- Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events are permitted with up to 10 people.
- Non-essential retail is permitted at 15 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold.
- Essential and other select retail is permitted at 25 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold.
- Outdoor dining is permitted with up to four people per table, with exceptions for larger households.
Lincoln Town Hall and the Lincoln Fire Department administrative offices continue to be open by appointment only in Step One. Please call 905-563-8205 or e-mail info@lincoln.ca to book appointments. Indoor Town recreation facilities also remain closed in this stage.
Please note that Section 22 orders issued in February by Niagara Region Public Health will still apply to all shopping malls, retail stores and food and drink premises in all of Niagara during Step One. This includes outdoor dining with only members of the same household.
For more details, see the Province's roadmap for re-opening at a glance.
“Our current situation is very promising, as more and more people across Ontario and Niagara region are getting their vaccines and case numbers and hospitalizations decrease significantly,” said Town of Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton. “Heading into Step One is welcome news for businesses, individuals and families who are looking to get back on track and start to resume some of their regular activities. The Town has endeavoured to keep the Lincoln community up-to-date on any changes or news on the pandemic, and we thank everyone for their patience throughout this journey to date.”
“These are baby steps and for many they may seem small, but they are steps in the right direction that we have all been eagerly anticipating,” said the Town’s CAO Michael Kirkopoulos. “We are still on the road to recovery so it’s very important to follow the current public health restrictions in place, including hand washing, keeping a physical distance of 2 metres and wearing a face covering where physical distancing is not possible.”
The Province will remain in Step One for at least 21 days to evaluate any impacts on key public health and health system indicators. At that point, if 70 per cent of adults are vaccinated with one dose and 20 per cent of adults with two doses, along with continued improvements in other key public health and health system indicators, the province will continue to Step Two of the Roadmap. For more information on facility and service impacts and to see what’s open and what’s closed in Lincoln, visit lincoln.ca/coronavirus-pandemic/facility-service-impacts.
Help prevent the spread of COVID-19:
The best way to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including COVID-19 is to:
- Practice physical distancing by avoiding close interaction with others (stay 2 metres apart).
- Wash your hands often with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Wear a face covering in public (indoors and outdoors) in accordance with Niagara’s Face Covering By-law, following the provincial order.
- Limit trips into the community to specific purposes that are important to you (e.g. shopping, restaurant takeout or outdoor dining, particular recreational activities), since extra time outside of the home adds to crowds and makes it more difficult for others to physically distance.
- Stay home if you are sick. Although COVID-19 is often very mild, minor symptoms should not be ignored.
- Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or sleeve.
Report a COVID-19 concern
To report a concern about gatherings or business not following COVID-19 guidelines, contact Municipal Law Enforcement:
- MLE@lincoln.ca
- 905-563-2799 ext. 289
- For By-law enforcement after hours (after 4:30 p.m. and weekends), please call Niagara Region dispatch line at 905-984-3690 or 1-877-552-5579.
For more information
For further information on the Town’s response to COVID-19 and impacts to facilities and services, visit www.lincoln.ca/coronavirus-pandemic.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Liliana Busnello
Manager of Corporate Communications
Town of Lincoln
Direct: 905-563-2799 ext. 230
Tel: 905-563-8205
lbusnello@lincoln.ca
Backgrounder: Current Facility & Service Levels
Below is some information on what is open and what is closed in Lincoln as of June 11:
Administrative Offices
- Town Hall is open by appointment only.
- Lincoln Fire Department administrative offices are open by appointment only.
- Visitors are asked to contact the Town ahead of time to make an appointment for essential services, by calling 905-563-8205 or e-mailing info@lincoln.ca.
Playgrounds and other outdoor recreation amenities open
- Playgrounds, basketball courts, tennis and pickleball courts and outdoor sports fields are open.
- Please note that the Rotary Park skate park and pump track are closed until June 30 to complete Part 1 of Phase II park construction.
- Splash pads and outdoor pools are open.
- Parks and trails are open.
- Charles Daley Park Beach, sport fields, picnic areas and park washrooms are open.
- Rentals for outdoor sports fields are now permitted. Visit our website for more details: https://lincoln.ca/facility-and-rental-information
- Please remember that outdoor gatherings are limited to 10 people.
- Even outside, people should stay at least two metres away from anyone they don’t live with, and team sports are not permitted.
- Visit lincoln.ca/parks-trails for more information.
All indoor rinks, sports and recreation facilities closed
- All indoor sports and recreation facilities in Lincoln are closed including Town-owned rinks and recreation centres: Fleming Centre, Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre, and both Lincoln Public Library branches. Lincoln Community Centre (Seniors Centre) is open for vaccinations by appointment only and for Rapid Testing for the local business community in cooperation with the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce.
- To register for programs please visit lincoln.ca/recreation. Program start dates will be adjusted based on the most current provincial restrictions. If programs are cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Town will issue refunds to registered participants.
Lincoln Public Library offers curbside pickup
- All Lincoln Public Library branches continues to offer curbside pickup service only. Visit www.lincoln.library.on.ca for hours and guidelines.
Lincoln Museum & Cultural Centre closed
- Check out the Museum’s online exhibits and virtual experiences.
Priority Community Services
- Hear & Now Mental Health Walk-in Clinic remains available online and by phone only. This service provides free one-on-one mental health counselling for children and youth up to age 18 in Lincoln. Call 1-800-263-4944 to book a counselling session.
- The Town will continue working with Niagara Region and local social service agencies to ensure the community’s most vulnerable have access to service and support. Please call 211 within Niagara for community supports.
Organized public events, social gatherings
- No indoor organized public events and social gatherings are permitted except with members of the same household. (Individuals who live alone, including seniors, may consider having exclusive, close contact with another household to help reduce the negative impacts of social isolation).
- Limit for outdoor organized public events and social gatherings, where physical distancing can be maintained is 10 people.
NRT OnDemand
- Visit the Niagara Region website for more information about NRT OnDemand. In-person ticket sales have been suspended at this time.
Support local and shop safe: ShopLincoln.ca
Please support local businesses who continue to need our support. For a directory of local shops, visit www.shoplincoln.ca.
Some of the main impacts to businesses are as follows:
- In person shopping permitted for all retail, subject to capacity limits of:
- Essential and select retail at 25% capacity and can sell all goods (including discount and big box)
- Non-essential retail at 15% capacity
- Retail stores in malls closed unless the stores have a street facing entrance
- Curbside pick-up and delivery permitted
- Stores must have passive screening for patrons (for example, posting signs outside the store front about not entering if you have any COVID-19 symptoms)
- Individuals must physically distance and wear a face covering, with some exceptions
Restaurants, Bars and Food/Drink Establishments
- Outdoor dining is permitted with up to four people per table, with exceptions for larger households.
- Restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments can continue to offer take-out, drive-through, and delivery.
Personal Care Services
- Prohibited, with the exception of massages.
Wedding, funeral and religious services, rites and ceremonies
- physical distancing must be maintained
- guests must wear masks or face coverings
- capacity limits:
- indoors: 15% capacity of the room
- outside: the number of people that can maintain two metres physical distance from each other
- Drive-in services, rites or ceremonies permitted, subject to certain conditions.
Meeting and event spaces are closed.
Animal services are permitted:
- Veterinary services and other businesses that provide for the health and welfare of animals, including farms, boarding kennels, stables, animal shelters, and research facilities.
- Businesses that provide pet services, including pet grooming services, pet sitting services, pet walking services and pet training services, including services for the training and provision of service animals.
Household services
- Domestic and cleaning and maintenance services permitted, including:
- housekeepers, cooks, maids and butlers
- personal affairs management
- nanny services and babysitters
- other domestic personnel
- house cleaning
- Outdoor cleaning and maintenance services permitted, including:
- indoor or outdoor painting
- pool cleaning
- general repairs
Accommodations
- Permitted to operate except for any pools, fitness centres, meeting rooms and other recreational facilities that may be part of the operations of these businesses
For more details, see the Province's roadmap for re-opening at a glance.