MIDDLESEX CENTRE, ONT. -- Londoners hoping to head to the beach are mostly out of luck this weekend, depending of course on how far you are prepared to drive.
None of the popular beaches in Lambton Shores - Grand Bend Beach or Ipperwash Beach - or the beaches in the Pinery Provincial Park are open.
Lambton County remains in phase 1 of reopening, so restaurant patios in places like Grand Bend also remain closed.
In Elgin County, the four main beach areas are set to open, but not until June 22. That includes all the beaches from Port Glasgow in the west end, through Port Stanley and Port Bruce, and east to Port Burwell.
Municipal officials said there simply wasn't enough time to prepare to reopen the beaches on Friday.
And when they do open, there will be some new measures in place, including;
- signage reminding visitors of the two-metre distancing rule for those not in the same household
- public washrooms will be open and cleaned regularly, but visitors are encouraged to bring their own hand sanitizer
- restriction of no more than 10 in a group will be enforced by OPP and bylaw officers
The beach at Port Burwell Provincial Park is reportedly open, but many other amenities remain closed.
Details on what is available in each provincial park in Elgin County, including Port Bruce and John E. Pearce provincial parks can be found on the Ontario Parks website by choosing from the list in the Parks menu.
In Bayfield and Goderich, popular Huron County beach towns, public beaches are expected to reopen Friday, but amenities like washrooms may not yet be open.
Since reopening of public beaches is decided by each individual municipality, you may want to consider checking ahead before you go if you're thinking of hitting the road this weekend.
If you don't want to leave the London, the city's municipal splash pads are reopening on Friday, though pools remain closed
