City releases reopening plan — but without a timeline

The City of Hamilton has released its road map to reopening, though it’s unclear when it might be put to use.

Shared online Friday, the city’s “Hamilton Reopens: A Road Map to Our New Reality” lays out the city’s plan for its next phases of responding to the pandemic and how Hamilton can safely restart programs and services and reopen facilities. The plan, crafted by the city’s Emergency Operations Centre, goes to city council on Wednesday.

No dates are attached to the framework.

“(It’s) so that when the province says it’s good for us to open and if our public health says it’s the right thing to do … we have a plan to get people back to work and get our facilities back up and running,” Mayor Fred Eisenberger said at a city briefing Friday afternoon. “It is not a plan that is going to be immediately operational, it’s a plan.”

Each phase still requires the province to lift orders and requires a green light from public health staff, who will look to data on COVID-19 spread and cases locally, Eisenberger said.

“Very few things will be exactly as they were back in January and February,” said Paul Johnson, director of the city’s Emergency Operations Centre, also at the briefing. “This is a about a plan of change and modification in the way you access services and programs here at the City of Hamilton.”

For instance, it “will be a while” before in-person council meetings and gatherings can take place, he said.

Also announced Friday, city skate parks, tennis courts and pickleball courts are now open. Golf courses are also opening, with King’s Forest Golf Club opened Wednesday and Chedoke Civic Golf Course opening this weekend.

As for the framework, the first phase includes guidelines that are essentially what they are now.

In the “Early Stages” first phase, all municipal facilities and offices remain closed, recreation programs and events are cancelled, many city staff are working from home and there are restrictions on the number of people allowed to gather, following provincial orders. There is a limited return to work for staff “delivering high-priority services” or those who work alone or in small groups. Some outdoor city amenities will be open to the public.

In Phase 2, the “Gradual Recovery,” some municipal facilities and offices reopen but with measures in place to allow physical distancing and screening, most recreation programming and events are still cancelled, and some staff return to work and must follow “strict adherence” to physical distancing. Restrictions on the number of people gathering will still depend on the province. Most outdoor municipal amenities will be open to the public.

Phase 3, the document warns, will last a while.

“It will continue until a COVID-19 vaccine or other treatments are available and are in widespread use,” the framework reads.

In “Our New Reality,” the third phase, most municipal facilities and offices will reopen to the public, but people will have to follow physical distancing and be screened upon entry, most recreation programming and events will return “under enhanced health and safety guidelines,” more staff will return to work but “many” will continue to work from home. Restrictions on the number of people allowed to gather will be relaxed. Outdoor city amenities will be open to the public.