Gathering restrictions are making it difficult for event planners to decide how Canada Day will look like in the capital in 2020.

Thanks to COVID-19 and gathering restriction in place, Canada Day might not happen as Ottawa knows it this year.

Speaking with 1310’s Cormac McSweeny, a spokesperson for Heritage Canada said there have been discussions on how Canada’s birthday party will roll out this year.

Heritage Canada adds it is monitoring the situation closely and will base their decision on advice given out by public health authorities.

Until more information becomes available, Heritage Canada says they are working on various contingency plans.

Normally, Ottawa’s big Canada Day celebrations have taken place downtown on and near Parliament Hill, where visitors can enjoy free concerts from some of the country's biggest names.

However, this year, there were already discussion of moving the celebration to a nearby park due to construction in the area.

But with gathering restrictions and physical distancing measures expected to be in place for months, Heritage Canada says the plans can continue to change leading up to the event.