The Bold Center in Lac La Biche, the Portage Pool and the Plamondon arena will all be closed as a local measure to curb the spread of the pandemic COVID-19 virus.
"The closures will remain in place for the foreseeable future—we do not yet have a timeline for when these facilities may reopen," said Lac La Biche spokesperson Jihad Moghrabi.
Lac La Biche County officials made the announcement Sunday night at 8:30 pm., sending out a short news briefing announcing the closures of the pubic facilities effective Monday, March 16.
The closures follow the announcements earlier Sunday by provincial officials that all K-12 school classrooms will be closing, as well as college classes, daycares and enhanced restrictive protocols on church gatherings will be put into place.
The closures of the Lac La Biche facilities are part of the municipality's efforts to keep the health and well-being of its residents and visitors at the forefront, said Lac La Biche County Mayor Omer Moghrabi.
“I can tell you that we are and will be ready,” says Mayor Moghrabi.
Sunday's closure notice advised that municipal administrative offices, landfills and transfer stations will remain open, "subject to staff availability," and that the municipality's 'core services' will continue.
"We apologize to our patrons for the inconvenience, and we appreciate your patience. Details are being worked out about placing potential holds on recreation memberships or offering refunds for programs or facility rentals," notes the county's news release.
says the community is doing all it can to continue to prepare and respond to the fast-changing events around the virus that has a reported 135,000 cases worldwide.
With Sunday's announcement that
