COVID-19 Update from Row Ontario: March 17
News/ Mar 17

COVID-19 Update from Row Ontario: March 17


Dear Ontario Rowing Community,

Please find below an update from Row Ontario regarding the COVID-19 virus and how it relates to rowing throughout Ontario.

State of Emergency Declared for Ontario

The Government of Ontario declared this morning a state of emergency to continue to protect the health and safety of all individuals and families.

As a result, a number of facilities and establishments are legally required to close immediately, including facilities providing indoor recreation programs. This includes any and all rowing clubs in Ontario who are currently running indoor training programs.

While the restrictions do not include the required closure of outdoor facilities, Row Ontario strongly recommends that all rowing clubs cease any outdoor training programs immediately as well. The health and wellness of the Ontario rowing community is of the utmost importance to us, and the sharing of any equipment between members could potentially lead to the transmission of the COVID-19 virus.

The state of emergency enacted by the provincial government will remain in place until at least March 31, at which point it will be reassessed and considered for extension, unless the order is terminated earlier.

To read the Government of Ontario’s full news release, please visit the below link:

https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/03/ontario-enacts-declaration-of-emergency-to-protect-the-public.html

2020 Rowing Season

We, like all of you, are looking forward to the 2020 rowing season and we hope to proceed with the entire schedule as planned. However, we recognize that the situation is fluid and the possibility of either postponing or cancelling events throughout the Spring may soon become a reality.

Let us reiterate that, with less than six weeks to the first event of the Spring, we have not yet made a decision to cancel or postpone any scheduled regattas, but we realize that, for public health reasons, this may be required. As part of the state of emergency, public events with more than 50 people have been prohibited.

The health and safety of our rowers, coaches, umpires, volunteers, spectators, and the community at large is our top priority. We continue to be in constant contact with all relevant health authorities and will follow their recommendations.

We will update the Ontario rowing community when more information is known.

Coaching and Umpire Clinics

On Friday, March 13 Row Ontario announced that all currently scheduled in-person coaching and umpiring clinics are suspended until further notice. Registered participants for upcoming clinics will be notified a minimum of two weeks in advance of the date of their clinic if the clinic will be rescheduled for a later date.

Anyone who has registered and paid for a clinic will be given a credit toward the rescheduled clinic or can request a full refund by emailing finance@rowontario.ca.

Online clinics, such as the Level 1 Umpire Clinic on March 29 and April 5, will go on as scheduled.

Row Ontario Office

With all Canadians being urged to limit social interactions and work from home where possible, all Row Ontario staff will be working from home for the foreseeable future. We will not be able to take phone calls to our office number but are still available via email during working hours. You can find the contact information for all Row Ontario staff at the below link:

www.rowontario.ca/contacts

We will continue to monitor the rapidly evolving situation and will continue to provide updates as they become available from reliable medical experts. We will also continue to make efforts to assist decision makers in our community who are seeking guidance as they address this unprecedented situation.

Yours in Rowing,
Row Ontario