We are excited to announce that our Pool and Playcare will be re-opening Monday July 6 in a limited capacity. Things will look a little bit different, so here is what you can expect.
As we reopen our Aquatic facilities, all aquatic activities including lane swim, aquatics fitness classes and recreational swim will be conducted on a pre-registered basis.
We will not be offering swim lessons at this time. We are looking to introduce private lessons for the month of August, so look for more information on this in the coming weeks.
HOW TO SET UP YOUR ONLINE ACCOUNT AND REGISTER FOR CLASSES
NEW Aquatics Schedule
Full details on Aquatics reopening here
Playcare use will be available on a pre-registered basis. A max of 12 children will be permitted during each timeslot. The number of spots in each booking block will have age limitations. Playcare will be open Monday to Friday 8:50am – 1:00pm. The following timeslots will be available for booking:
• 8:50 - 10:10am • 10:20 - 11:40am • 11:50 - 1:00pm
Full Details on Playcare reopening
We appreciate your cooperation in helping us ensure that everyone has a safe and comfortable visit to our facilities. If you have any questions, please contact Playcare Supervisor, Joy Casey.
In order to comply with COVID health and safety guidelines, we have reduced our Group Fitness class sizes to allow for greater physical distancing. Registration, either in-person or online, will be required for all classes. If you would like to set up your account for online registration, please visit the link below for more information.
How to set up your online account and register for classes
New Group Fitness Schedule
Health and Safety in Group Fitness Classes
We are happy to continue offering virtual options for members to participate in from the comfort of your home as well as some great new additions! Our updated virtual class schedule is included on the group fitness schedule here and will begin Monday June 22. No pre-registration is required for virtual classes.
The login information is provided below, please note that this is a new link and password:
Join Live Zoom Class
Email one of our Fitness Directors, Kassie Fowlie or Amber Durant for the password.
Keep following our local Kamloops Y instructors on our YouTube channel for a variety of group fitness classes, available at your leisure!
Kamloops Y on YouTube
The Downtown Y is reopening on Monday, June 15, 2020, and we wanted to make you aware of the new protocols and procedures you can expect when you use our facilities, as well as important information about your first visit and your membership.
Starting Monday, June 15, our Downtown Y dry-land fitness spaces, including cardio equipment and weight rooms, will be open with reduced hours as follows:
Weekdays, 7:00am – 7:00pm Saturdays, 8:00am – 3:00pm We will be closed on Sundays and Stat Holidays
The Pool, Hot Tub and Sauna, as well as Playcare Services, will not be open.
The John Tod Centre Y will remain closed at this time.
As we reopen, the health and safety of our members, volunteers, and staff is our top priority. We are following guidelines from health experts and local officials to ensure that our facilities meet the highest standards for hygiene and safety, and we have modified our policies and programs to facilitate safe social distancing practices.
Trust your Y to ensure the health and safety of all people. We will be implementing new health and safety protocols including:
Daily health screenings of members, volunteers and staff Increased cleaning of high contact surfaces Increased physical distancing Physical distancing and safety signage Physical distancing in changing rooms (max 6 people at any time), limited locker availability, and no shower access Reduced class sizes Pre-registration required for all Group Fitness Classes Reduced facility capacity Reduced operating hours
Upon your first visit, you will be asked to read and sign off on an updated Code of Conduct. We have put these measures in place to best ensure the safety of all members, staff and volunteers and make sure everyone can have a safe and enjoyable Y experience. If you are unable to sign off on these terms, you will not be permitted entry into the facility.
Additionally, while closed, we have updated our software system, and all members will need to check in with the front desk to update their account photo.
To make your visit run smoothly:
Come ready to workout as locker and change spaces will be limited. Towel Service and Locker Service are suspended, so please bring your own towel and lock or a quarter for the lockers Water Fountains will be closed, so make sure you bring your own water bottle Please bring your own yoga mat, straps or blocks, as we will not have yoga mats available. Please bring your own lock, or a quarter for the lockers as we will not be providing locks if you have forgotten yours Review the new Code of Conduct in advance If you are feeling ill stay home!
Our reduced Group Fitness Schedule will commence on June 22, 2020. All Group Fitness Classes will now require registration prior to attending the class, either online or through our member services desk registration prior to attending the class. Only registered participants will be permitted to join the class. Please visit Member Services to get the Online Registration link, as well as your Username and Temporary password.
The group fitness schedule, as well as more info about registration and class guidelines will be released on Monday, June 15.
As a Thank You to you, our valued Members, we will be waiving membership fees for the first two weeks of our re-opening. All accounts will reactivate on June 30, 2020.
If you are not comfortable with returning to our facilities yet, we are extending our hold policy to allow members to remain on hold until the end of the calendar year, December 31, 2020. However, you may reactivate your membership at any time by simply coming in to see us!
If you wish to take advantage of the hold extension, please contact our Member Services team by Sunday June 21, 2020 at downtownmemberservices@kamloopsy.ca
Alternatively, if you do not wish to return at this time, but would like to continue to support your Y, you can keep your membership active, and fees will be taken beginning June 30, 2020. No further action is required on your part, and your membership will be ready for you whenever you wish to return.
If we do not hear from you by June 21, 2020, or you do not notify us that you wish your membership to remain on hold, your account will be charged on June 30, 2020, and your regular fees will be taken biweekly thereafter.
Your Y membership is important to a strong and stable Y for today and tomorrow, and we appreciate your continued support.
We will also continue to offer Virtual Services at this time, so please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and check out our YouTube channel for Virtual Workouts, Mental Wellness content and more!
As a nonprofit dedicated to keeping our community healthy, safe and thriving for all, Y members like you make our impact possible. Thank you for staying with us during these incredibly challenging times.
We are thrilled to announce that we are taking steps to reopen our facility and reactivate key programs with a multi-step approach, with the first step beginning on June 15, 2020. We are so happy to welcome you back to the Y!
The first step in this approach will be a reopening of our Downtown Y dry-land fitness, including the cardio equipment and weight rooms, on Monday, June 15, 2020. We will also be introducing a reduced group fitness class schedule that will commence on June 22, 2020.
During step one we will be operating our facility with reduced hours, as follows:
• Weekdays, 7:00am – 7:00pm • Saturdays, 8:00am – 3:00pm • We will be closed on Sundays and Stat Holidays • The John Tod Centre Y will remain closed at this time
If you are not comfortable with returning to our facilities yet, we are extending our hold policy to allow members to remain on hold until the end of the calendar year, December 31, 2020. However, you may reactivate your membership at any time by simply coming in to see us! If you wish to take advantage of the hold extension, please contact our Member Services team by Sunday June 21, 2020 at downtownmemberservices@kamloopsy.ca
As we prepare to reopen our doors, please be assured that your safety - and the safety of all our members, program participants, staff and volunteers - is our number one priority. We are following guidelines from health experts and local officials to ensure that our facilities meet the highest standards for hygiene and safety, and we have modified our policies and programs to facilitate safe social distancing practices.
• Daily health screenings of members, volunteers and staff • Increased cleaning of high contact surfaces • Increased physical distancing • Physical distancing and safety signage • Decreased class sizes • Reduced facility capacity • Reduced operating hours And more
We will be communicating with you further on the matter of health and safety at your Y later this week to ensure that you are aware of all the new protocols and safety standards. We need your assistance, and we will be relying on you to help us provide a safe and comfortable experience for everyone returning to our facilities.
Future steps will be rolled out when it is deemed safe and suitable to do so, and information regarding those steps will be communicated when applicable.
Planned steps to be rolled out over the coming weeks/months:
• Step 2 – Registered Playcare times, Limited pool usage (lane swim and reduced aquatic fitness classes), a mixture of virtual and in person youth programming • Step 3 – Private Swim Lessons • Step 4 – Additional programming and community user groups, reintroduction of Health and Fitness programming at the John Tod Centre Y
Your Y isn’t a building. It’s people - people from all backgrounds and walks of life who come together to improve their lives, nurture their families and strengthen their community, together. Know that we are here for you and will be constantly evaluating our processes and procedures to serve you, support you and keep you safe.
If you have further questions or concerns please contact Ashley Kotai, General Manager of Member Services, Health, Fitness and Aquatics at ashley.kotai@kamloopsy.ca
We can’t wait to see you again!
The Kamloops Community YMCA-YWCA was made aware this morning of the Interior Health Authority rescinding the order to close our facilities and to allow a re-opening effective May 19th 2020. We appreciate that the Health Authority has taken this action and that there is confidence in moving our society back to some of the activities that we all enjoyed prior to the CoVid-19 Closure Notice.
We are excited and looking forward to welcoming back members of the community. However, before doing so, our primary objective is to ensure the safety and health of our members, staff and volunteers. We are working hard on plans that comply with the Provincial Health Office protocols, as well as extra precautions and safeguards against the spread of COVID-19, so our re-opening is safe, efficient and gives the quality experience our community members have come to expect from the Kamloops Y.
We are currently taking the time to review the guidelines provided by Interior Health in re-opening requirements, to work on a plan to have all the resources and supplies necessary to meet these requirements, to have our facilities prepared properly and to have our staff trained to ensure a safe and positive re-opening experience for everyone.
We sincerely thank everyone for their patience and understanding. Your YMCA will look and feel a bit different when we re-open. Some things will be available and some things will have to wait, but some things won’t change – your YMCA will be welcoming, safe and nimble – particularly as we work together as a community to rebound from self-isolating.
Please stay tuned to further notifications from us on our re-opening schedule.
We won't be opening our doors until it's safe to do so and we have the all-clear from public health authorities and our government. The BC CoVid-19 Go Forward Strategy has given us a map forward that helps us in preparing to reopen services. The details and timing of when and how we will reopen are not yet clear. Be patient as we work through clarifying this information.
In the meantime, our teams have been thinking through new plans and protocols that will help keep you safe when we can eventually welcome you back. We know you'll expect a new Y experience when you return, complete with extra precautions, and we're prepared to take them.
Keep an eye open for more details!
Although no member or staff have tested positive for COVID-19 at our facilities, we believe it is important to follow the recommendations of public health agencies and do everything we can to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 virus so that our hospitals do not become overloaded.
Based on the recommendations of the Public Health Act, the Kamloops Community YMCA-YWCA will be closing HFA centres to the public as of regular facility closing hours, March 17, 2020. This means that until further notice, the Downtown Y and the John Tod Centre Y will be closed as of end of day, March 17, 2020.
At this time our YMCA licenced Spring Break Camps and Licenced After School Care Programs will continue as usual until we have received notice to suspend those operations. However, parents will now be required to submit a Health Declaration form for each child, daily. Parents will be contacted by the Program Director with details on this procedure.
Our CCRR centre will remain open at reduced operations to comply with the Public Health Act. Please contact the CCRR for more information.
Our Violence Against Women Intervention and Support Services, including our YWCA Women’s Emergency Shelter, Stopping the Violence Outreach Services, and the PEACE Program, are essential services in our community and will remain open for the time being. We will keep you updated as the situation evolves and changes.
If you are a YMCA Health, Fitness & Aquatics member:
The Kamloops Y will not be charging fees during this disruption in program and service delivery.
All membership and subscription (such as towel service) payments for future services will be stopped effective Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Any member that made a payment and only received partial service because of the closure will be credited or refunded. Payments are invoiced seven days in advance, so you may see a payment come out of your account up to seven days after March 17. Any payments taken will be refunded or credited to your account.
Annual members who have paid for a full year will have their memberships extended for the duration of the closure. No further action is required.
Any member that has paid for personal training services, will be able to re-book sessions when centres open and the expiry of these services will be extended accordingly. No further action is required.
The YMCA-YWCA is a charity dedicated to strengthening our communities. Coming together as a local community to support one another has never been more important in recent history. Many of you have said that you wish the YMCA-YWCA to continue taking your fees rather than put your membership on hold. Instead, we invite you to make a donation so the Y can continue its important work by clicking here.
If you are a valued donor to the YMCA:
All donations will continue unless requested. All requests to increase or decrease your donation can be made to fund.development@kamloopsy.ca. As a charity dedicated to the community of Kamloops, your continued generosity is needed now more than ever, and greatly appreciated at this time.
If you have questions or are looking for more information, the latest info can be found on here on our website, or you can contact us at member.info@kamloopsy.ca
Thank you for your continued patience and support. We look forward to being able to serve you again in the future.
UPDATE march 16, 2020 -- 9:00 am
Based on recommendations from the Center for Disease Control to avoid crowded spaces and maintain a distance of 1-2m between individuals.
Fitness class size maximums will be reduced by 40%, Effective Monday March 16.
Please see class sign up sheets at Member Services.
Based on recommendations from the Life Saving Society of BC and the Center for Disease Control to avoid crowded spaces and maintain a distance of 1-2m between individuals, we will be closing our hot tub and sauna until further notice, effective upon opening March 14, 2020. The CDC states that there is no evidence that COVID 19 can be spread to humans through the use of pools and hot tubs and that proper disinfection practices should remove or inactivate the virus. Our pool will remain open for public swim. We will continue with our regular cleaning, maintenance and disinfecting processes with a heightened awareness of common contact surfaces. We will be monitoring numbers in our pool and enforcing that at any given time we have less than 250 patrons using the pool area. This situation will continue to be monitored as we move forward.
These practices are being adopted by other Ys in Canada as well as other recreational facilities within the City of Kamloops and Province of BC. As this situation continues to evolve and change we will update all staff/volunteers and members.
Currently we will not be cancelling any regularly scheduled classes or programs but will continue to monitor the situation and incoming information regularly, and will respond accordingly. Some instructors have chosen to remove their classes from the schedule and we respect their individual choice to do so. We will keep you updated with the latest information as things change.
With the evolving landscape of COVID-19, we want to take this opportunity to share with you the various measures we are taking to maintain a healthy and safe environment for everyone in our YMCA community. We are also taking this opportunity to provide you with some additional information to help prevent the spread of illness.
Our sole purpose as an organization is to enhance the health of citizens we serve and to build a vibrant and healthy community. This Pandemic Virus has made us more aware of impact that infectious disease has on citizens around the globe, and how inter-connected people are in today’s times. Keeping Y Members and Program Participants safe and healthy is a primary concern of the Kamloops Community YMCA-YWCA.
We generally follow Public Health Disease Transmission Prevention and Public Health Measures as the basis of our YMCA-YWCA response to matter such as this. Local, Provincial and National Health Authorities, BC Centre for Disease Control, international agencies like the World Health Organization and reputable medical research organizations.
There is a lot of confusing information on this Virus and it is important that we use reputable and accurate information to assess this matter.
The CoVid-19 Virus is declared as a Pandemic as it has surfaced all around the globe and is impacting the health of those most vulnerable to the disease. It is an air borne virus that impacts the respiratory system and has symptoms such as runny nose, sore throat, cough and fever. Older citizens and those with respiratory issues, asthma, heart illness, diabetes or immune compromised are at the greatest risk. People who have contracted the disease generally get over such in a 7 to 10 day time frame, some take longer and those who are seriously sick from CoVid-19 require hospitalization.
The risk to Canadians is considered low (March 12 2020), however the threat is being taken seriously in order to flatten out the spread of this virus.
1. Frequent Hand Washing: Wash hands with soap and water or alcohol based hand sanitizer after all activities. 2. Cough/Sneeze Etiquette: Cover your mouth and nose while sneezing and coughing. Dispose of tissues immediately. Wash your hands. 3. Avoid touching your face: The virus enters your body via mouth, nose and eyes. 4. Stay home: Staying home from work and play when actively ill, or feeling ill (Fever, active coughing/sneezing, shortness of breath) helps prevent the spread of the virus. 5. Environmental Cleaning: The virus survives on hard surfaces up to 48 hours. All program equipment and spaces cleaned daily, bathrooms and high touch areas like door knobs and railings cleaned regularly. Clean your home, your office and your car, as well as your cell phone and any items you take with you regularly. 6. Vaccinations: If you are eligible for other Flu Shots get them. When a CoVid-19 Flu shot comes available get one. 7. Containment/Isolation: If you feel sick stay in isolation for 14 days. Monitor your health, seek further medical help if it is needed, call ahead to get instructions from your nurse, doctor, hospital. 8. Hospitalization: If you require a hospital visit, call ahead. Only the severe cases require hospitalization to treat serious medical conditions.
Get educated and informed, and stay that way. If you are sick, stay home. If you have the symptoms, reach out to medical services for assistance and follow their recommendations. Self-isolate for up to 14 days. Declare to the public health agency if you have been in contact with someone who has the virus.
Follow any Canadian Travel Advisories before you travel. If you travel, expect delays, interruptions, possibility of quarantine, closing of borders, cancelling of events or travel; expect possible testing and quarantine upon return to Canada; be prepared to not return to your home right away. Be aware that some countries do not have the same health system infrastructure that we enjoy, and if you have health concerns be prudent in your choices of where you travel.
Clean your premises; if you use equipment at the Y clean it with wet wipes; avoid coughing on friends and family; keep your distance from strangers; stay healthy.
Most importantly, if you are feeling sick, stay home.
We are monitoring the COVID 19 Virus news daily, We are relying on reliable sources for our information, and we are following, and will continue to follow the normal recommended procedures given to us.
We are part of a Regional and National YMCA information system on this COVID-19 pandemic and the recommended action steps that come from this group will be followed.
We are doing our regular cleaning using germicidal cleaners including all surfaces and high touch areas.
We are stepping up our cleaning practices and frequency and encouraging members and class participants to clean all program equipment after use. We also are keeping the workplace clean.
We encourage members to stay home if they are feeling sick.
We encourage Y staff and volunteers to stay home if they are feeling sick.
We are washing our hands as per the disease prevention protocol.
We are encouraging all to follow proper protocols if you come in contact with CoVid-19.
We are monitoring our supply of cleaning products.
We are planning for further steps and actions if they are required.We are trying to provide a safe, clean, welcoming space for people to enjoy their favourite activities.
We will follow all normal practices and procedures regarding membership hold, program refund practices and ensuring Y staff have adequate sick time leave should they need it.
We expect members, volunteers, and staff who return from out of country travel to self-quarantine for the required 14 days.
We appreciate your help in keeping all of our members, volunteers and staff safe and healthy.
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