BARRIE, ONT. -- After a three month hiatus, the Mariposa School of Skating is finally back on the ice.
The school has been skating out of the Allandale Recreation Centre and is already in its second week.
While athletes are happy to be back, there are many strict COVID-19 precautions in place, as advised by Skate Canada, Skate Ontario, the Simcoe Muskoka Health Unit and the City of Barrie.
Some precautions include immediate screening once the athlete has walked through the arena, as well as the closure of bathrooms and change rooms.
Rob Bell, manager of Recreation and Facilities with the city of Barrie, said the precautions are to ensure the safety of the staff and skaters.
"When a skater or athlete comes into the facility, they line up outside, and they get escorted into the facility. They get stopped at the front and answer a number of health-related questions, and then they are asked to wear a mask throughout the facility," said Bell.
Each skater is assigned a chair since they can't access the changerooms, and after each session, the arena staff wipe down that chair for the next session.
"They can wear the mask until they get on the ice, and when they get on the ice, they can remove the mask and perform," explained Bell.
Other precautions with skating programs are also in place, such as pair skating programs and dances.
David Islam, co-owner of Mariposa School of Skating,says they are going to stick to "no touching" until given direction otherwise.
"They're not allowed to be in contact with each other, so they skate individually, and they'll skate side-by-side," said Islam.
"But until they get the go-ahead that it's allowed, we will not be allowing our pairs or dancers and synchro skaters to touch."
Right now, the Allandale Recreation Centre only is running the figure skating program, but they are working with the health unit to see what other programs can begin.
