A number of UBC Sport Facilities including the BirdCoop and Aquatic Centre have reopened for public use as of July 13.
In an announcement posted to its website, UBC Recreation said visitors should be aware of limited or reduced activities to accommodate safety precautions and guidelines surrounding COVID-19.
“The health and wellbeing of students, faculty, staff and visitors is UBC Athletics and Recreation’s top priority,” wrote Kavie Toor, managing director of UBC Athletics and Recreation, in a July statement. “As we prepare for Fall 2020, we remain committed to engaging our community in outstanding sport and recreation experiences, even under these unexpected circumstances.”
Here’s what you can expect.
Time slot registration
The news of these facilities re-opening also comes in the wake of another announcement posted late last month that the SRC will re-open with time slots limited to one-hour long sessions allocated for badminton and table tennis.
Visitors will have to register through UBC Recreation’s new online system beforehand.
Aquatic Centre
So far, only three programs are available at the Aquatic Centre: length swim, aqua fitness classes and performance private coaching. Private lessons and public swim are expected to reopen on July 20 and July 25 respectively.
Each swim session will be limited to 45 minutes, with a 15-minute block for patrons to enter and exit the pool in between to allow for proper distancing.
Since rentals and shared equipment will be suspended as part of UBC Recreation’s new physical distancing measures, visitors will have to bring their own equipment such as swim caps and goggles.
In addition, swimmers will be expected to arrive “swim ready” as amenities such as change rooms and lockers will be closed during this time. Visitors will need to remove shoes before entering and change on the pool deck.
BirdCoop Fitness Centre
Areas referred to as “pods” will be designated for individual workouts within stretching and free weight spaces. Traffic flow will also be controlled through different signs and markers posted throughout the facility.
To enforce physical distancing measures, UBC Recreation will be restricting exercising with partners. Additionally, a cleaning spray bottle will be provided to each member to clean their equipment before and after each use.
As with other recreational services, visitors will be expected to arrive ready to workout since change rooms will be closed at this time.
Pre-screening questions will also be asked for all persons visiting these facilities as part of a health screening check.
Additional safety measures will include signs and pathways for traffic throughout facilities, line-ups and designated entrances or exits. In addition, only cashless forms of payment will be accepted. Though wearing a mask is encouraged, it will not be required.
— with files from Tomila M. Sahbaei
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