By Cecilia Nasmith

The Town of Cobourg's Emergency Control Group thanks everyone for their patience as they studied new public-health measures announced by the Province of Ontario on Friday, as well as their implications for local residents.

The new regulations and tightened restrictions of the Stay-At-Home Order include the following changes to municipal services and programs.

• Outdoor gatherings must be with members of your own household only. Those who live alone may join one household.

• All outdoor recreational amenities are closed, including picnic sites and picnic tables, sports facilities and multi-use fields (such as basketball courts, baseball diamonds, tennis and pickleball courts, soccer fields and the skateboard park.

• Playgrounds, play structures and equipment can be used by children, if both the children and their parents can maintain a physical distance of at least two metres from others who are not members of the same household.

• Outdoor parks and recreational areas (including the off-leash dog park) can also be used provided the two-metre space can be maintained from others outside your household.

• All non-essential construction is paused.

• Weddings, funerals and religious services, rites and ceremonies are limited to 10 people, indoors or outdoors.

The announcement noted that all town parks and recreational areas (including the Victoria Park beach) remain open for the purposes of walking through or using portions of the park, beach or recreational area.

“I want to thank our residents for their steadfast resolve to reduce the spread of COVID-19 within our community,” Mayor John Henderson said.

“I am asking each of you to continue to abide by the Stay-At-Home Order, and to take everyone's health and safety seriously. Only go out if it's essential, continue to wear a mask, wash your hands and practice physical distancing. Continue to make those good choices.”

A complete list of updates is available on the Government of Ontario website.

The Town of Cobourg will continue to put out new information as it becomes available at www.cobourg.ca/covid and on its social-media channels.