Tennis courts are back: Vaughan set to reopen some park amenities on Friday

Some citizens believe closures were an ‘exaggerated’ approach

Yorkregion.com
June 12, 2020
Dina Al-Shibeeb

Tennis courts, dog parks, parking lots and skateboard parks are set to reopen this Friday, June 12, in Vaughan, the same day Ontario is allowing gatherings to increase from five to 10 people.

This is particularly good news for Lina Botero, a Kleinburg resident who thought that closing tennis courts wasn’t a sound policy. After all, she wants to play with a family member -- her daughter -- and Ontario has already allowed gatherings of up to five people and are en route to permitting up to 10.

“It's exaggerated,” Botero said, describing Vaughan’s policy.

“And frankly, it's laziness for them (to not assess) the real risk of each individual activity,” Botero said, before Vaughan's announcement that it was going to reopen tennis courts on June 10.

“(In) Canada here, we only have a few precious weeks of being able to be outside and enjoy our public tennis courts,” the mother said. “Again, I'm not going to go to a court and play with a stranger, who is going to talk with me or touch the balls and get infected.”

However, Vaughan has garnered a reputation of being a hot spot for COVID-19.

As of June 9, about 44 per cent of York Region’s 2,695 total confirmed cases are in Vaughan. Vaughan also has about 43 per cent of York Region’s 222 death toll.

In Vaughan, about 36 per cent of the acquired cases have come about through close contact, 30 per cent through an institutional outbreak and 22 per cent through local transmission. In contrast to Vaughan, institutional outbreak is the reason behind 35 per cent of the total infections in York Region, while close contact is at 32 per cent and local transmission at 20 per cent.

Also, all 24 regions in Ontario are permitted to move onto Stage 2 of reopening of the economy, but not York Region. So far, the whopping majority of new cases in Ontario -- almost 90 per cent -- are from Toronto, Peel Region and York Region.

Vaughan is willing to defend how it's charted its own policies.

“The decision to open these facilities now is informed by a risk model developed by the city to help determine what amenities should remain closed and when they should reopen -- with public safety always being the priority,” said the city in a statement published June 10.

“The risk model uses Vaughan-specific data and reflects guidance issued by York Region Public Health and the provincial government, such as the ongoing extension of provincewide emergency orders.”

While tennis courts are set to reopen, all other park amenities -- including playgrounds, sports fields, outdoor exercise equipment, basketball courts, splash pads and public washrooms -- remain closed to the public.

The city warned its residents of fines in case of violations. “Fines of $105 to $400 under the Parks Bylaw and $500 to $100,000 under the Emergency Measures Bylaw may be laid,” it said.

However, Botero said that people are still finding "access to many trails" shut down for visitors due to COVID-19.

And with many of her neighbours having basketball stands and hoops at their garages, Botero still sees “kids playing” basketball at school playgrounds, even though it’s not permitted.

“Frankly, I don't mind. I think it's more important for kids to be active and not be stressed,” she said, alluding to one of COVID-19’s biggest challenges -- mental health, especially for young people who have no schools to go to.

The resident also cited how the CDC said that surfaces aren’t the “main way” that COVID-19 spreads, or how Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization's technical lead for coronavirus response and head of the emerging diseases and zoonoses unit, described the spread by people without symptoms as a "very rare" occurrence.

“So why (doesn’t Vaughan) evolve its thinking to make life more pleasurable to its citizens?” she said.

While the city lauds its “disciplined, responsible and measured approach” to “protect citizens and staff from this virus,” it also described how “in addition to these outdoor amenities, the city offers a variety of virtual programs for people of all ages to enjoy,” showing how it's trying to strike a delicate balance between safety and pleasure.

Places of worship ready?

In addition to all licensed daycares, which can now reopen on June 12, Ontario is also allowing places of worship to gradually reopen.

So far, all places of worship across Ontario have now been permitted to reopen with physical distancing measures in place and attendance limited to no more than 30 per cent of the building's capacity.

However, not all places of worship are ready to open their gates for their followers.

When calling the New Life Christian Church, for example, a representative for the church said they won’t be open yet, as they are “still getting ready with new restrictions” and that it’s “going to take a little bit of process” and more “supplies.”