A much-anticipated amendment has been made by the Ontario Ministry of Health to their “COVID-19 Guidance: Summer Day Camps“, document released June 1, 2020. It was outlined in version 1 on page 4, point #9:
“Do not plan activities with exposures to animals or pets.”
Since its release, Ontario Equestrian (OE) and Equestrian Canada (EC) have been pressing the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries and the Ministry of Health to amend point #9 to exclude horse or equestrian day camps from their document.
OE and EC are thrilled to announce that version 2 of this document was released and states the following amendment on page 5, point #9:
“Do not plan activities with exposures to animals or pets that involve touching by different camp participants (e.g., petting zoo, animal visitors, etc.). Activities with limited or no touching (e.g., horseback riding, wildlife viewing, etc.) should follow all requirements for health and safety as set out in this guidance as well as the Recommendations for the Management of Animals in Child Care Settings document.”
Please read the entire COVID-19 Guidance: Summer Day Camps – version 2 document for additional information regarding camp guidelines.
Ontario Equestrian thanks everyone for their patience while they advocated for this amendment.
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