• Screening of all people entering the facility.

• Body temperature readings of all people entering the facility.

• Reducing access to two front entrances to ensure thorough screening.

• Reduced visiting hours from 10am-7pm, allowing one visitor per patient at a time.

• Suspending pet visitation.

Mental health services

• Canadian Mental Health Association Niagara branch has closed all of its offices and locations indefinitely.

Individuals requiring mental health support or intervention are asked to contact:

COAST at 1-866-550-5205 (24/7)

Urgent Support at 905-641-5222, Ext. 2231 (Mon - Fri 11:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.)

Or call the main line for additional information at 905-641-5222 (Mon - Fri 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.)

Schools

All publicly funded elementary and secondary schools will remain closed for two weeks following March Break.

Classes are scheduled to resume on April 6.

As a result of the state of emergency announced by the province on March 17, all private schools are also closed.

Niagara College

In response to COVID-19 and in consideration of health and safety for the college community, NC events are being reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Niagara College announced that it has suspended all on-campus classes starting March 16.

Brock University

• Effective after end of classes Friday, March 13, the university is suspending face-to-face classes and exams for the rest of this academic term and is working on a plan to move to alternative forms of class and exam delivery, including online.

• Prohibiting all student, faculty and staff travel outside Canada that is not vital to the academic mission

• Travel considered vital to the academic mission includes things such as work placements and exchanges.

• Travel not considered vital includes things such as attending or presenting at academic conferences, meeting colleagues and collaborators, and attending professional development events and classes.

• Cancelling all discretionary events not required for academic courses or credit through June 1

Events including March Break tours and Spring Open House are cancelled. Online replacement options will be explored.

• Events cancelled include those organized or hosted by Brock on our campus or in other locations.

• Events cancelled include those organized or hosted on our campus by third parties.

• The University is working to assure students the academic term is not at risk.

• We are exploring alternate forms of delivery and may take other steps as needed.

• A full contingency plan for exams is being considered.

Brock is also evaluating the impact on students, staff and faculty of the provincial government’s decision to close elementary and high schools until April 5.

The University announced it is suspending all events through June 1, including Cuvée 2020, which was set to take place on Saturday, April 25.

Brock is transitioning to a modified operational model that will see significant parts of the University working from remote locations.

The model will focus on an on-site/off-site model, where some staff will work on-site in a significantly modified schedule and most other faculty and staff will work remotely off-site.

While the Brock campuses in St. Catharines must remain open, it is important to ensure that steps are taken so that the University is doing its part to mitigate risk, encourage social distancing and protect the health and wellbeing of faculty, staff, students and the community.

On March 16, the university announced students had to move out of residences by Thursday, March 19 – with the exception of students with no alternative accommodations.

Effective Tuesday, March 17, the following on-site services will be operating at reduced staffing levels. Minimal on-site staffing will be scheduled to prioritize services and supervisors will be initiating reduced working schedules for the following on-site services:

• Campus Security

• Centre for Pedagogical Innovation

• Facilities Management (maintenance, trades and custodial services)

• Food Services

• Graduate Studies

• Infrastructure Technology Services

• James A. Gibson Library (First floor only)

• Mail Services

• President’s, Vice-President’s and Deans’ Offices

• Registrar’s Office

• Research Enterprise

• Student Health Services

City of St. Catharines

As part of continued close monitoring of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the City of St. Catharines partially activated its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).

The role of the City’s EOC, staffed by employees trained in emergency management, is to coordinate a response to any type of emergency. The EOC provides support and resources in the event of an emergency and ensures business continuity for City of St. Catharines services. This provides the City the opportunity to have key staff at the table to ensure we are making decisions that help protect the public and our employees.

The City has temporarily closed all of its facilities to the public. While this closure does impact a host of community programs and events core services will continue to be offered.

As a result of these closures all City programs – including March Break programming - and third-party events at the above locations will be cancelled. Several City special events will be cancelled or delayed as a result of the closure including the St. Catharines Neighbourhood Forum and World Water Day celebrations.

St. Catharines Transit has announced a modified service schedule to ensure service reliability. The modified service, the equivalent to current Saturday service, is effective Monday, March 16, and will be in place until April 3.

Effective March 18, the administrative office will be temporarily closed to public access. The Downtown Terminal ticket counter will be available to the public every day between 8 a.m.-4 p.m.. During this time, all external doors will be locked and only one passenger at a time will be granted entry. Use the door at Platform I for access.

• The City has postponed its 2020 St. Catharines Arts Awards. Organizers are working on rescheduling the event, and will announce more details as they become available at stcatharines.ca/artsawards.

• The spring tree giveaway and rain barrel sale will be postponed to sometime in the fall.

City of Niagara Falls

This year’s State of the City Address has been suspended until further notice.

The city partially activated its emergency operations centre on March 13.

In order to limit the spread of COVID-19, the City has closed all of its facilities to the public until further notice.

Phones will continued to be answered between the hours of 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday - Friday, and online service requests will remain available at niagarafalls.ca.

The City’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has identified that the following essential services will be maintained during this time:

• Fire Services

• Burials

• Water & Sewer Emergency repairs

• Water Meter Sales to support building occupancy

• Road Condition Inspection

• Major Road, Pothole and Trench repairs

• Winter Maintenance

• Forestry Emergencies

• Fleet Emergency and Essential Services Support

• Limited Building Permit Inspections

• Capital Project Continuance

Transit

The following reduction in Niagara Falls Transit service must be undertaken due to an impending lack of manpower and in the best interest of operations and public safety:

Effective Thursday, March 19, 2020:

Niagara Falls Transit will remove All City PEAK service (30 minute service during AM and PM periods) on regular routes 101-114.

Effective Sunday, March 22, 2020:

Niagara Falls Transit will be reducing weekday service to a Sunday schedule, operating hourly, 7am to 9pm until further notice.

WEGO will be providing WINTER level service, operating the Red Line from 7am - 11pm, and the Blue Line from 7am to 9pm until further notice.

Chair-A-Van will be providing essential trips only (medical, employment, education, and essential shopping) to currently registered users only. Chair-A-Van is unable to accept new applications at this time.

All fleet will undergo enhanced cleaning measures.

Visit the Transportation page for more information.

All other services are subject to delay.

City service updates will be posted on the Niagara Falls COVID-19 page as they become available.

City of Thorold

The City of Thorold has partially activated its Emergency Operations Centre.

Effective Friday, March 13, at 4:30 p.m. all municipal facilities have been closed until April 6.

In order to reduce the risk of exposure, all public meetings, including the March 24, 2020 Council meeting, Committees of Council meetings, Thorold Sports Runway of Recognition.

City of Port Colborne

As of March 16, the City closed all municipal facilities to the public, which includes City Hall, the Engineering & Operations Centre, Fire Hall, Vale Health & Wellness Centre, Roselawn Centre, Port Colborne Public Library, Farmer’s Market, Bethel Community Centre, Sherkston Community Centre, Sugarloaf Marina, Port Colborne Historical and Marine Museum, and L.R. Wilson Heritage Research Archives.

City of Welland

All city facilities have been closed to the public. This includes the transit office; however the terminal remains open. The Transit Terminal on East Main Street will close effective March 24 at 9:30 p.m.

On April 2, the city announced that it is extending the closure of all public facilities, and the cancellation of events and programming until June 30.

The following city hosted events are cancelled:

March Break Special Events, March 19 to 21, at the Welland Community Wellness Complex and the Welland Public Library

All Welland Farmers’ Markets, March 14, 21, 28, & April 4, At Market Square

Recreation and Wellness Expo Welland, March 28, at Welland Community Wellness Complex

• All Recreational Programming scheduled to begin on April 6 at the Welland Community Wellness Complex is cancelled until further notice. Participants will be notified a week in advance of resuming.

• All washroom facilities at Merritt Island have been closed

During the closure of Civic Square, residents can make parking ticket payments using Visa or MasterCard through our online service provider, Paymentus, at https://www.welland.ca/parking/onlinepayments.asp. Cheques can be mailed to our office at 60 East Main St., Welland, ON L3B 3X4, or placed in the Civic Square drop box located at the first set of doors of the Civic Square (closest to Cross Street).

Town of Lincoln

Lincoln has activated its partial emergency operations centre and put certain proactive measures in place. The town has created a website with information to help them through the pandemic.

All public facilities have been closed.

• uLinc will suspended operations starting Wednesday, March 18, 2020, until April 5, 2020

• Water meter replacement program is suspended effective March 17, 2020, until April 16, 2020

• Cemetery Services will continue. Arrangements by loved ones with cemetery Town staff will be done through the phone where possible rather in person at this time

Seniors’ programming has been suspended as seniors are at risk of the illness.

March Break camps have been cancelled, as have committee of the whole standing committee and council meetings. Citizen advisory committee meetings have been cancelled.

Township of West Lincoln

The Township’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) is active in response to the spread of the COVID-19 virus and moving forward on the best measures to protect the health of the public and staff.

Effective noon on March 17, the Township Municipal Office will not be open to the public until further notice.

Staff are continuing to provide essential services to the community. While the facilities are closed to the public, residents and businesses can call the office at 905-957-3346 and check the website https://westlincoln.ca.

The following are a list of cancellations and changes to upcoming events:

• The March 23rd Council meeting has been cancelled

• The March 24th Committee of Adjustment meeting has been cancelled

• Planning Pre-Consultation meetings scheduled for March 19th and April 2nd have been cancelled.

• The March 27th Community Safety and Well-Being Forum originally planned at the WLCC will now be held virtually through Niagara Region

• The April 10th Easter Egg Hunt has been cancelled.

Town of Grimsby

All town programs, including March Break programming and third-party events and bookings at the above locations have been cancelled. Related fees will be refunded without penalty.

All other town programs and services will continue to be delivered.

• All facilities, including the administration buildings will be closed to the public. This includes recreational facilities, Town Hall, Operations Centre (Clarke St), Fire Station 1 and Fire Station 2.

Despite these facility closures, Town staff will continue to assist and serve citizens online and over the phone. Phones will continue to be answered between the hours of 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM Monday to Friday 905-945-9634, and online service requests will remain available at www.grimsby.ca

Township of Wainfleet

Township has made a decision to close all facilities to the public.

Due to these closures: all programs, permits and third-party events will be cancelled.

During these closures, Township staff will continue to be available to assist residents Monday-Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 p.m. by calling 905-899-3463. Limited services will be available, by appointment only, for residents requiring planning, building and cemetery services. For more information, please review our Coronavirus Update Regarding Municipal Services.

On March 18, the town said it has shifted its resources to maintain core services only. Consequently, all public washrooms and the Niagara-on-the-Lake Courthouse have been added to the Town’s list of closures.

For more information, click here.

Town of Pelham

All town facilities will be closed to walk-in public access effective March 17, until further notice.

Although the Council and Committee of the Whole Meetings on Monday, March 23, 2020 at 5: 30 p.m., are meetings open to the public, all Town facilities are closed to the public as a precautionary measure relating to the COVID-19 event. The Town of Pelham is committed to being accountable to the public, so the following options are available to view the meetings:

Residents can watch the Council and Committee meetings live on our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/townofpelham/live

The meetings are recorded and available on the Town of Pelham website within 24 hours of the meeting.

Additional social distancing precautions will be in place at the meeting for those required to be in attendance, to a maximum of 10 people.

Pelham Transit has announced a modified service schedule equivalent to its current Saturday service. The schedule will operate on the modified schedule Monday through Saturday effective Monday, March 23 until further notice.

Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake

• All town facilities are closed to the public. As a result, all public and Committee meetings, including Committee of the Whole, have been cancelled. The Town Council Meeting scheduled for March 30, 2020, remains scheduled but is subject to further notice. Postponement notices will be circulated once new dates have been confirmed.

Despite this closure, Town staff will remain available to assist and serve citizens online and over the phone. Our phones will continue to be answered between the hours of 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM Monday to Friday (905-468-3266), and online service requests will remain available at www.notl.com.

On March 18, the Town said it has shifted itsresources to maintain core services only. Consequently, all public washrooms and the Niagara-on-the-Lake Courthouse have been added to the Town’s list of closures.

For more information, click here.

Town of Fort Erie

All Town facilities were initially to be closed to the public until April 5. On April 2, the town announced they would remain closed until further notice.

As a result of these closures all Town programs and third-party events at the above locations will be cancelled.

Burials will continue at Town cemeteries however all other services will be unavailable during the closure period. Civil marriage ceremonies will also be cancelled until further notice. In addition, water meter replacements, repairs and in-house water sampling will be discontinued moving forward. Bay Beach season passes will also not be available at Town Hall until May 1, 2020.

The March 23 council meeting has not been cancelled, it will not be open to the public. Future meetings may be cancelled depending on the status of COVID-19. The Town streams all council meetings live on our YouTube Channel.

On March 31, the town announced it was following the latest Ontario government emergency declaration by closing all of its outdoor recreation facilities, including playgrounds and sports fields. Green spaces in public parks, ravines, conservation areas and trails like the Friendship Trail will remain open for walk-through access, but individuals must maintain the safe physical distance of at least two metres apart from others.

Niagara Parks

To ensure the health and safety of all staff, guests and partners and following the direction of the Government of Ontario, The Niagara Parks Commission will be closing all public facing operations including transportation services, effective Saturday, March 14 with tentative plans to reopen on Monday, April 6.

The NPCA offices and conservation area buildings and facilities are closed for the public until further notice. Conservation areas such as Ball’s Falls, Rockway, Cave Springs, Woodend, etc. are still accessible for passive recreation activities only, such as hiking and birdwatching.

Niagara Casinos

OLG announced Sunday afternoon that it was working with service providers to close casinos across the province within 24 hours. Niagara's casinos - Casino Niagara and Fallsview Casino - had previously announced suspension of its live entertainment programming.

YMCA of Niagara

YMCA health, fitness and aquatics facilities in Port Colborne, Grimsby, Welland, Niagara Falls and St. Catharines have been closed until April 6 inclusive.

OTHER CANCELLATIONS

• Fifteen Stories High Launch scheduled for March 29 has been cancelled. More information: https://canauthorsniagara.org

• Carousel Players' Tour & Media Day for Lig & Bittle until further notice.

Due to public health concerns and government mandated school closures, Carousel Players has chosen to postpone the tour & media day for Lig & Bittle.

Carousel Players’ staff and artists are hoping to be able to share this production with the children of Niagara, and beyond, once the current public health crisis is resolved.

All schools are being notified of the postponement, as are those with tickets or reservations for the public performances.

Please consult our website or contact us at info@carouselplayers.com if you have any questions about the postponement or Carousel Players’ Covid-19 policies.

• Niagara Wood Carvers Association 's Wonders of Wood Show and Competition scheduled for March 28 and 29 will be cancelled until next year. For more information email mcooper9@cogeco.ca

• Prom Project is postponed. The Education Foundation of Niagara shopping event was to take place April 14 at St. Catharines Collegiate, Fort Erie Race Track and Beamsville Secondary School.

• The Visual Artists of Welland is postponing the VAW 2nd Annual Spring Fling Art Show & Sale originally scheduled for April 3-5. A tentative date has been rescheduled to the weekend of Sept. 18th, 2020. Members, sponsors, donors, media, etc. are currently being notified. Updates will be posted on their website: https://visualartistsofwelland.com/ and Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/VisualartistsofWelland/ For additional information please contact our Co-Presidents - Deedee Alexandre at deedeeteapot@hotmail.com or Pam Duncan at pamduncan1951@gmail.com

• The Boys and Girls Club of Niagara will be closing all its facilities programs and services including child care effective 9:00 pm Friday March 13 through to April 5 to do our part to stop the spread of the COVID-19 Virus. It has also made the decision to postpone the recognition event scheduled for March 25, 2020 at Club Capri.

• Pelham Art Association has cancelled its Workshop & Thursdays' Acrylic/Watercolour classes for the next couple of weeks. Update will be posted on our website: http://pelhamartassociation.ca/ & Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/PelhamArtAssociation/

• Seaway Mall has cancelled all March Break activities

• Grimsby Historical Society has cancelled all of its upcoming meetings

• The South Niagara Chamber of Commerce has made the decision to reschedule its upcoming events in March. They will be re-scheduled at a later date.

They will continue to monitor the situation closely and update our community by communicating through email, social media posts, and updates on its website: https://southniagaracc.com/

• The Hope Centre has cancelled its community lunch gathering for the time being and will offer takeout lunches instead.

• The Niagara Falls Community Outreach soup kitchen will offer simple bag lunches at the door - no one is to enter the building. Volunteers are being asked not to come in for shifts unless contacted directly by kitchen manager.

• The St. Catharines Jaycees has announced the 33rd annual Easter Egg Hunt will not take place in 2020 out of abundance of caution related to COVID-19 concerns.

• Ontario Bishops have opted to cancel Sunday services, effective March 15 for Anglican churches in Ontario. Those who are still interested in seeing a service on Sunday can tune into a livestreamed service out of St. George's Anglican Church in St. Catharines via YouTube Live at 10 a.m.

• Niagara Wine Festival has decided to reschedule its Niagara Spring Sparkles Festival, set to take place later this month, to later in April. The weekend passport touring program will now take place April 18, 19 and 25, 26.

• The Brain Injury Association of Niagara will be closed until further notice. Memberships can still be dropped off or mailed to Unit 4-300 Bunting Rd. St. Catharines. If you are dropping off a membership form please call in advance (905) 646-2426 ext 1.

• March Break activities at St. John’s church in Thorold are cancelled. For information, contact Katherine Kerley, youthministry@stjohnsthorold.com.

• The Trivia Day at Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre in Niagara Falls, Ontario scheduled for March 22, has been re-scheduled to June 7. For further information please contact 905-358-3412.

• Pathstone Mental Health services rendered from the following sites are affected:

The Branscombe Centre, Rotary House, Merrittville, The Branscombe Early Learning Centre, Port Cares, Boys & Girls Club Fort Erie, Beamsville Medical Clinic and ALL Hear & Now Walk-In clinic locations will not be accepting clients, or any members of the public effective Monday, March 16th to Sunday, April 5th.

For existing clients and families, counselling and supports will be offered one-on-one, over the phone with your therapist.

For children, youth and families across Niagara, Counselling and supports are offered 24/7 through their Crisis Line at 1-800-263-4944.

• Great Wolf Lodge Resort in Niagara Falls has announced it will be closed until April 1. Upon reopening, enhanced sanitation measures will be introduced to ensure safety of guests and staff.

• Oh Canada Eh? Dinner Theatre in Niagara Falls has closed the theatre and cancelled all productions scheduled up to April 11.

• Garden City Productions has cancelled its upcoming production of Sister Act that was set to hit the stage at Ridley College's Mandeville Theatre later this month.

• St. Catharines MP Chris Bittle announced his office will not be taking any in-person appointments or walk-ins. However, in a Twitter post he noted staff would be more than happy to assist by phone (905-934-6767) or by email at Chris.bittle@parl.gc.ca.

• GoodLife Fitness has closed its clubs across Canada indefinitely. All member payments are being put on hold effective March 17 and paid-in-full memberships will be put on freeze, with expiry dates extended accordingly.

• The Learning Disability Association of Niagara Region office will be closed until further notice. It remains accessible via email. For information or support, or if you have any questions, contact info@Ldniagara.org.

* The Seneca Queen Theatre in Niagara Falls is closing down. Shows scheduled on March 21, 27 and 28 will be rescheduled. For more information, visit www.senecaqueen.ca for information.

• Niagara Falls MP Tony Baldinelli said that with the House of Commons suspended until April 20, he will be working in his Niagara Falls constituency office. Staff in both the Niagara Falls and Fort Erie constituency offence will be available by phone and email.

• Fallsview Indoor Waterpark is closed, with a tentative opening date of April 6. For information, visit www.FallsviewWaterpark.com.

• Landmark Cinemas and Cineplex closed their theatres across the country March 16. This includes the Landmark location in St. Catharines and the Cineplex locations in Niagara Falls and Welland.

• Meals on Wheels Programs are committed to continuing their operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. All Meals on Wheels agencies have established screening procedures for clients and volunteers adhering to the Ministry of Health standards. Adjustments to standard delivering practices have been modified to meet challenges of COVID-19.

• Border Town Pro Wrestling in Fort Erie has postponed its March 28 event scheduled to take place at the Fort Erie Native Centre. Fight Night has been rescheduled for May 30.

•The Fort Erie SPCA has closed the shelter to visitors. Licence renewals can be made online at forteriespca.org and over the phone at 905-871-2461. They can also be renewed by mail by sending at self-addressed, stamped envelope to 410 Jarvis St., Fort Erie, ON. L2A 2T1.

• The Grimsby Home, Garden and Lifestyle Show scheduled for April 17-18 has been postponed until further notice.

• The next Separated and Divorced Healing Ministry Support Group (meetings on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month) at Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre in Niagara Falls, to be held on March 23, at 7 p.m. has been cancelled. For further information on future meetings please email separatedanddivorced@saintcd.com or call 905-356-4113.

• Heartland Forest is following Ontario Parks protocol and is now closed until further notice. This includes the Nature Centre - all programs and bookings, park-side washrooms, play equipment, boardwalks and trails. The gates will remain closed and entering the property on foot is prohibited.

• The Hike for Hospice Niagara fundraiser has been postponed until Oct. 3. The website is open to register and collect donations at www.hikeforhospiceniagara.ca

• • Shop and support Rock’n Blues on the Battlefield scheduled for Apr. 10 in downtown Thorold has been cancelled.