With Chatham-Kent in the Red-Control level of the province's COVID-19 Reopening Framework, municipal services, arenas, and pools are starting to reopen their doors to the public.
The Chatham Civic Centre is now open for regular services, including tax and utility payments and dog tag licence renewals. All other municipal service centres will re-open for regular business hours starting on Monday.
However, Municipal Information Desks in Bothwell, Thamesville, and Wheatley will continue to be closed until further notice. Service Ontario offices in Dresden and Chatham will continue to operate by appointment only, but will no longer be for just essential services as of Monday. Services including commissioning of documents and marriage licenses will continue to be available by appointment only.
Municipal pools will reopen on Monday as well. Both the Gable Rees Rotary Pool in Blenheim and the Wallaceburg Sydenham District Pool will open with a modified schedule. The municipality said only 10 people are allowed in the pool at the same time. For more detailed information, please call 519.360.1998 or click here.
All municipal arenas will reopen on Saturday to resume existing ice contracts. The municipality said no new ice bookings will be accepted for the time being. Tiny Tot and Adult Skate ice programs will also be available. For more detailed information, please call 519.360.1998 or click here.
All Chatham-Kent library branches will continue to provide curbside service. Click here for the complete curbside schedule and more information on the library’s virtual services.
CK Chief Administrative Officer Don Shropshire said change rooms at the arenas and pools continue to be a challenge and will stay closed for now.
"Our municipal staff have been in touch with all of the people who have ice time booked to ensure they know what the plans are. Again there are still going to be some restrictions like our change rooms where we can't maintain social distancing, they'll remain closed," said Shropshire. "Over the next couple of weeks we'll see how the numbers run and hopefully we'll be able to start opening things up more as time goes on."
The municipality is thanking all residents for their hard work to keep the community safe during the provincial shutdown and stay-at-home order.