As the B.C. economy slowly begins to reopen as part of phase 2 of the province’s Restart Plan, the City of Kamloops is looking to start to reopening city facilities. The first phase of reopening will start on Monday, June 1.

Those who attend public facilities can expect to see physical distancing barriers and signage as well as increased cleaning practices between customers. Longer wait times should be expected and service levels will be limited as a result. People are being encouraged to find alternative ways to connect with city staff, such as online or by phone.

“We are making all of the arrangements to be compliant with WorkSafeBC in terms of our operation and we have the health and safety of our employees here at the city of Kamloops and your health and safety as members of the public front of mind,” said Mayor Ken Christian.

He adds that many city services can be accessed online.

“With property taxes coming up, we encourage everyone to look for alternatives to paying in person. Taxes can be paid through your bank, by mail, or online or by telephone banking,” Christian added. “Visiting City Hall should be your last resort.”

“We are being methodical in how and when we welcome residents and staff back so that everyone feels confident that we are doing everything we can to keep them safe when they enter a City building. We look forward to seeing staff and residents back in our facilities and continuing to serve the public in the safest way possible.”

He says staff are working on a plan to reopen other city facilities as well, including recreation facilities.

“We have our parks, our courts, and our nature parks still open but they are not open for organized sport,” Christian said. “Until we hear from viaSport that they have provided all the sporting organizations with the kinds of restrictions that are going to be in place because of COVID-19, there will be no organized sports on our fields.”

The city has released the following schedule:

• Development and Engineering Services and Kamloops Fire Rescue Station No. 1 will be open to the public starting June 1 by appointment only
• The Civic Operations Centre and the Bylaw Services Centre will be open to the public starting June 1
• City Hall will be open to the public starting June 8. Each day, the hours of 8:00–10:00 in the morning will be reserved for seniors or people with underlying health issues that make them more vulnerable or high risk

These facilities will be open for regular summer hours (8:00 am–4:00 pm). Residents are reminded to NOT enter any City facility if they are unwell. Anyone displaying obvious signs of flu-like symptoms may be asked to leave.