Masks required at city and RDCO facilities

Effective today, a non-medical mask or face covering to cover the mouth and nose is now required to be worn in all indoor facilities operated by the City of Kelowna. That includes, City Hall, all recreation facilities and arenas, Yards office and the Glenmore Landfill Administration Building.

Mask use in the terminal at Kelowna International Airport remains in effect.

Along with additional safety protocols – hand-sanitizing stations, physical distancing, directional signage, plexiglass barriers and reduced room occupancies – disposable masks will be made available for facility users entering without their own mask. All users are reminded to stay home if feeling unwell.

A few exceptions are in place within recreation facilities when users arrive at their designated activity space. Masks are still required when entering recreation facilities and when moving through shared spaces like lobbies, hallways, changerooms and spectator areas.

City staff will wear masks when interacting with the public both indoors and outside.

A new video with Mayor Colin Basran describes the new approach and the reasons for these enhanced safety measures.

The city continues to follow the lead of the Provincial Health Ministry and work with Interior Health to deal with the COVID-19 situation locally. The enhancement to City COVID-19 safety protocols follow recent recommendations of the Provincial Medical Health Officer around mask use in indoor public spaces.

Whenever possible, the public is encouraged to do business with the city online at kelowna.ca. Review the City’s COVID-19 safety protocols online at kelowna.ca/COVID19.

The Regional District of Central Okanagan has introduced similar measures as, effective immediately, all visitors to indoor RDCO facilities are required to wear a mask or face covering.

This update follows the expectation of the Provincial Health Officer that masks be worn in public areas of buildings in the province.

This includes the main KLO Road administration office, the Environmental Education Centre (EECO) in Mission Creek Regional Park and the Regional Dog Pound on Weddell Place. For visitor safety, each facility is currently open with restrictions on the number of visitors, personal hand sanitizing requirements on entry, physical distancing and protective barriers.

For those without a face covering, non-medical masks will be available at the main entrance to each facility.

RDCO staff will also wear a mask when having any indoor or outdoor interaction with the public, unless a physical barrier is in place.

Residents are encouraged whenever possible to reduce their in-person visits by continuing to contact staff by phone or email or seek out information online through the rdco.com website. As well, customers requiring specialized services like development applications and building inspections should continue to arrange appointments with staff by phone or email. A department directory is available at rdco.com/directory.