City of Kingston closing amenities, reinstating capacity limits as COVID-19 cases surge

The City of Kingston is taking additional steps to curb the spread of COVID-19, including new capacity limits in restaurants and cancelling its New Year’s Eve event.

The Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington (KFL&A) region has seen a dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases in recent days, with 216 new infections reported on Wednesday. More than 1,100 people in the region have active cases, and KFL&A's rate of infection per 100,000 population is the highest in the province, according to the region's medical officer of health.

New restrictions were put in place Monday, limiting gatherings both indoors and outdoors to no more than five people, and restricting hours for indoor dining and alcohol sales.

The City said Wednesday that some facilities would be closed, starting Thursday, until at least Jan. 4, 2022.

• Dec. 16 - 1211 John Counter Blvd.,
• Dec. 16 - City Hall. Please note public restrooms on the lower basement (accessible via the amphitheatre) will remain open.
• Dec. 16 – Grand Theatre due to cancellations (Box Office will remain available).
• Dec. 16 – Memorial Centre and Centre 70 due to cancellations.
• Dec. 17 – The administrative office at Kingston Area Recycling Centre. Blue and green bins will not be available during this period.
• Rideaucrest Home is closed to visitors until further notice, by direction from KFL&A Public Health. Essential caregivers, essential workers and essential support staff may continue to enter the facility.

City staff who work at these facilities (Planning Services, Building and Licensing, Office of the City Clerk and City Payment Centre) will remain available by appointment, Monday to Friday, to support residents.

Additionally, the city says its winter 2022 registration for recreational programs has been deferred until early 2022 and the 2022 New Year’s Eve event has been cancelled.

Medical officer of health Dr. Piotr Oglaza has also issued a letter of instruction that will come into effect at 12:01 a.m. Sunday to enhance public health measures.

“We are seeing a significant spike in cases in multiple settings and sectors due to the new variant of concern, Omicron. Omicron is highly transmissible and has made the KFL&A region one of the highest COVID-19 case rates in the province,” Oglaza said in a press release. “Enhanced protective measures are required to reduce the number of contacts people have with one another to slow disease transmission within the community and to protect our businesses, schools, organizations, health care resources, workers, and residents.”

Capacity limits and physical distancing requirements will be reinstated in businesses. Most businesses will be limited to the amount of patrons who can all physically distance by at least two metres and most may not exceed 50 per cent capacity. Outdoor settings can have up to 75 per cent capacity.

Restaurants, bars, and other food and drink establishments must keep all tables at least two metres apart or separated by Plexiglas. Earlier this week, each table was limited to a maximum of four people and indoor dining hours were reduced.

Masks will be required at all indoor and outdoor sports and recreational facilities and organized public events, both indoors and outdoors. Gatherings are limited to no more than five people until Dec. 20 under a previously announced Section 22 order. Under this letter of instruction, gatherings will be limited to no more than 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.

Contact sport competitions will not be permitted but practices will be allowed if participants are cohorted in groups of no more than 10, those cohorts are not mixed and a distance of at least two metres is maintained between all participants during practice. Physical distancing is also required in dressing rooms.

Oglaza said he could not provide an end date for these measures. He expects they will be in place for at least one month.

"In the meantime, any further provincial measures to lift capacity limits and physical distancing requirements will be delayed in the City of Kingston and the Counties of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington," Oglaza wrote. "I assure you that I am monitoring local, provincial, and national developments closely and will adjust our course accordingly. I may amend these instructions (if and as required) and I will rescind them as soon as I determine they are no longer necessary."