Cobourg council votes to close popular beach until Aug. 31
COBOURG — Metal fencing will be going up around the beach at Victoria Park immediately after council unanimously voted to close the popular summer destination until Aug. 31.
Cobourg council met for 2 1/2 hours virtually on Monday afternoon with council voting to immediately close the beach on Lake Ontario, about 55 kilometres south of Peterborough, to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
The decision was made with input from the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit.
The motion passed by council directs town staff to implement the closure of the beach by installing metal fencing with barriers for emergency access points and the continuation of increased bylaw and police enforcement at the waterfront.
This enforcement will remain “in order to continue to make sure residents and visitors are complying with provincial orders and complying with physical distancing guidelines as set out by federal, provincial and local health units,” the town said.
Councillors also called on town staff to provide them with a report at the June 22 committee of the whole meeting with statistics on waterfront area activities and any other areas of concern that arise due to the beach closure.
Council members asked that this report include how the town could reopen the beach with restricted use and the estimated costs associated with reopening the beach.
Portable washrooms, including accessible units, will be installed in the area and are to be cleaned twice a day.
The town is also in communication with the Ministry of Transportation for approval to allow for clear signage indicating that the beach is closed to be posted along Highway 401, on arterial roads entering Cobourg, on all major approaches to Victoria Park and around the beach itself.
No new COVID-19 cases
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit reported no new COVID-19 cases in the jurisdiction.
The City of Kawartha Lakes has now had 151 confirmed cases, but 125 of them had been resolved as of Tuesday afternoon. The health unit is also monitoring 22 people in the City of Kawartha Lakes who are at high risk because of contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Northumberland County has 17 confirmed cases, with 16 of them resolved as of Tuesday afternoon.
Haliburton County has eight confirmed cases, with seven of them resolved as of Tuesday afternoon.
The health unit is also monitoring two people in Haliburton who are at high risk because of contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases.
There are no current institutional outbreaks in the jurisdiction, the health unit reported.