North Bay, ON – May 13, 2020 – The City of North Bay will designate Memorial Drive as an active transportation route during the Victoria Day weekend in an effort to assist with physical distancing requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Memorial Drive will be closed to traffic between Regina Street and the Marina starting Friday at 9 a.m. and will reopen Tuesday at 9 a.m. The closure is designed to allow those who are cycling and walking to maintain a safe distance.
“We know people are anxious to get out and enjoy the warmer weather now that spring has arrived, but now’s not the time to let up,” said Mayor Al McDonald. “We need to keep up our physical distancing. This doesn’t mean you can’t go outside. Just remember to keep at least six feet from those around you. We put our trust in our citizens to follow the COVID-19 protocols.”
The City will monitor the use of Memorial Drive as an active transportation route and will re-evaluate following the long weekend to determine if the designation will be extended.
“The City of North Bay has created an environment to help encourage residents utilizing the waterfront for walking or biking to continue to physically distance. We thank you for continuing to follow public health guidelines including physical distancing, washing or sanitizing your hands often, covering your coughs and sneezes, wearing a facial covering when physical distancing is hard or not possible to maintain and staying home as much as possible,” said Dr. Jim Chirico, Medical Officer of Health.
Residents are reminded that City parks and green spaces are open for walking, running or riding their bikes through, but playground equipment and other structures, as well as sports fields and the dog park, remain closed under the emergency order issued by the province on March 30th. The Waterfront Marina remains closed pending a go ahead from the province to allow for the recreational boating season to get underway. The status of municipal boat launches, which are also closed at this time, will be reviewed Thursday following the next briefing from the province on additional reopenings in Ontario.
For an up-to-date list of COVID-19-affected municipal services and facilities, please visit https://www.cityofnorthbay.ca/covid-19-information/