Mayor Margaret Quirk issued a declaration of emergency on March 19, 2020 in response to COVID-19 in the Town of Georgina. The Town of Georgina continues to work with York Region Public Health and N6 municipal counterparts monitoring the global situation with the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 19, 2021, the Town marked one year since declaration of emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the media release.
Province-wide stay-at-home order: Effective Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 12:01 a.m., the provincial government issued a province-wide stay-at-home order requiring everyone to remain at home except for essential purposes, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing health care services (including getting vaccinated), for outdoor exercise, or for work that cannot be done remotely. On Friday, April 16, the province extended the stay-at-home order by two weeks and announced further public health measures to help stop the spread of COVID-19. As a result of these changes, many Town amenities are closed until further notice. This includes basketball courts, tennis courts, pickleball courts, skate parks, soccer fields, baseball diamonds and picnic tables/areas.
COVID-19 vaccinations: The COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Georgina is located at the Georgina Ice Palace. York Region is experiencing a serious reduction in vaccine due to the delays in the Moderna shipment. Regretfully, this overall lack of COVID-19 vaccine will force York Region Public Health to close our COVID-19 vaccination clinics at Canada’s Wonderland (drive-thru) in the City of Vaughan and the Georgina Ice Palace in the Town of Georgina. York Region Public Health will also reduce the capacity at the remaining three public health clinics in the City of Markham, City of Richmond Hill and the City of Vaughan. These closures and adjustments will remain in place until the Region receives additional vaccines.
- Vaccines for eligible individuals are delivered by appointment only. Visit york/ca/covid19vaccine for a list of who is eligible for a vaccine. Walk-in appointments are not available. Appointment bookings can be made at york.ca/covid19vaccine.
- The online booking process requires two steps – first create an Active Net account if you don’t have one and then book an appointment. You must complete both steps to be fully registered for an appointment, and will receive a confirmation email with your appointment date and time.
- Some residents who are not able or not comfortable booking an online appointment are encouraged to seek out a support person (caregiver, family member, friend or neighbour) who can assist in booking an appointment. If you need assistance booking, call 1-877-464-9675.
- York Region Public Health has produced a video on what to expect when visiting a vaccination clinic.
Town update on COVID-19 impact to service levels:The Georgina Mass Vaccination Clinic continues to provide Georgina and York Region residents with the COVID-19 vaccine, close to home. York Region Public Health has been leading the clinic, which was made possible through support from the Town. In order to host a clinic, the Town redeployed recreation staff to support it. This has meant an adjustment to some service levels as it relates to recreation and aquatic programming, summer camps, events and access to sports fields. The Town is pleased to announce all waterfront parks will be open this summer subject to provincial guidelines. Read the media release.
Enforcement: As part of York Regional Council’s commitment to keep communities safe from COVID-19, members of the COVID-19 enforcement task force are increasing inspection activity to ensure compliance. Learn more.
Customer service: The Civic Centre remains closed, however, you can call customer service from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For after-hours emergencies about animal control, roads, water or wastewater, call 905-476-4301 and follow the prompts to reach after-hours on-call services. Municipal Law Enforcement can be reached at 905-476-4301, ext. 2279 or 2272. For after hours and weekends, call ext. 2281. If your call goes to voicemail, leave a detailed message including the date, time and location of the violation, and an officer will investigate.
Recreation: All Town indoor recreation facilities are closed to the public and all in-person programming cancelled. Anyone impacted by cancelled programs and third-party rentals will be contacted directly. The Town will refund all user fees charged. All memberships have been put on hold and the length of the membership will be extended. Visit georgina.ca/recreation for more information.
Georgina Public Library: Indoor library visits are no longer permitted, but curbside holds pickup is available – no appointment required. You can place items on hold through the catalogue or by phoning a library branch. Once you receive your hold pickup notification (email or phone call), you can visit the library during our open hours to pick up your items. Visit georginalibrary.ca/service-updates for more details.
Council meetings: The Town is holding virtual Council meetings. The Town is using the ZOOM platform for the meetings, in addition to the usual broadcast through the Town’s live internet streaming tool. Public participation by phone is now available. A pre-registration form is required to be submitted to the Clerks Division by noon the day before the meeting. The form can be found at georgina.ca/CouncilMeetings. Rogers TV Georgina will also broadcast the meetings.
Committee meetings: The Town is holding virtual Committee meetings. The Town is using the ZOOM platform for the meetings, in addition to the usual broadcast through the Town’s live internet streaming tool. Public participation by phone is now available. A pre-registration form is required to be submitted to the Clerks Division by noon the day before the meeting. The form can be found at georgina.ca/CouncilMeetings.
Stephen Leacock Theatre, Sutton Arena, Georgina Pioneer Village and Club 55 locations: Closed until further notice.
Georgina Fire and Rescue Services: The Fire Services administrative building at 165 the Queensway South remains closed to the public.
Georgina Animal Shelter: Closed to the public. Staff are on site to provide animal care. The shelter is not accepting donations. Visit georgina.ca/AnimalServices for more.
As this matter is continually evolving, residents are encouraged to follow the Town’s communications channels, including this webpage and social media, for updates (Facebook and Twitter).
All inquiries related to COVID-19 should be directed to York Region Health Connection at 1-800-361-5653, Monday to Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For more information on COVID-19, visit York Region Public Health’s website at york.ca/covid19 or the Province of Ontario’s website at ontario.ca/coronavirus.
whitehorse-_website.pdf