COVID-19 Guidelines - September 17

Updated - With Ontario and Quebec re-opened to varying degrees, and Ottawa now reducing the sizes of gatherings due to recent spikes in cases, we are continuing to organize urban walks, hikes, and canoeing outings based on the guidelines set by the two provinces. Depending on the province in which they occur, some aspects might be organized differently.

New - Especially with the increase in cases in our region, we ask that you help everyone stay safe by following the basic COVID-19 guidelines at all times, so we can all continue to enjoy this beautiful outdoors that we have:

• stay 2 metres apart at an absolute minimum
• wear a mask when you can't maintain that distance
• clean your hands

• Participation
  • Pre-registration (including COVID-19 questions) followed by confirmation of acceptance is mandatory for all outings; please see below.
  • Group sizes may be limited.
  • Non-members may participate. When group sizes are limited, members will have priority up to around the outing's pre-registration time.
  • If you need to cancel, please inform the leader as soon as possible so that the leader can open your spot to another person (should space be limited) and so that the leader knows not to wait for you at the meeting location.
  • At the starting point, the leader will ask you that your answers to the health questions are still all "no", to confirm all of your answers and just in case symptoms just appeared.
  • During the outing, if any symptoms appear that might suggest COVID-19, please tell the leader immediately. You will be requested to isolate from the group as much as possible. In addition, you will not be permitted to participate in any OOC outing for the next 14 days. The other participants in the outing will be informed.
  • Dogs are not permitted.
• Pre-registration
  • Required for all outings
  • Pre-register here by the outing's pre-registration deadline.
  • You will be informed as to whether or not you can participate in the outing. (Restrictions are usually due to limitations on the group size.)
• Ontario and Quebec "social circles" and "social gatherings" have different definitions and thus affect what is possible depending on the province we are in
  • Social circle
    • Ontario: you can be in only one social circle (description). It can contain up to 10 people from one or more households. It must include everyone from your household.
    • Quebec: only your household.
  • Social gathering (outdoors)
    • Updated - Ottawa: a group of up to any 25 people.
    • Quebec: a group of up to any 250 people.
    • Except for people in your "social circle" (defined above), you must stay at least two metres away from others.
• Transportation to and from the starting point
  • We are not organizing carpooling. All participants must meet at the starting location. The outing will be finished once the participants have returned to the starting location.
  • If you are driving, you may take those in your "social circle" OR one person who is NOT in your "social circle". All in the vehicle must be outing participants who have pre-registered and have been accepted for the outing. Please follow best practices for sharing a vehicle (as they apply to the mix of people in your vehicle), such as wearing masks and having everyone in the vehicle sitting as far from each other as possible. Do not consider this a round-about way to organize carpooling: if you do not have a vehicle, you should not ask a driver for a ride.
  • We recognize that this will make transportation to the starting point difficult or impossible for some.
• During the outing
  • Updated - For hikes and walks, please maintain a distance of at least 2 metres from each other unless you're from the same "social circle". Distancing is one of the recognized ways of reducing your chance of passing along COVID-19 to others and your chance of acquiring COVID-19.
  • You must have a mask. The leader will indicate when it needs to be worn. If you do not put on your mask when requested, you will not be permitted to join future outings of any type with the OOC. There will be no exceptions.
  • Stay in the group and away from other groups.
  • Supply your own hand sanitizer and / or disinfectant wipes, etc.
  • Since a shelter is an enclosed space where there is a greater risk of being exposed to the SARS-COVID-2 virus, we will not use any shelters. To reduce the risk of potentially infecting other members of the group, please do not enter a shelter.
  • If possible, please take your own first aid kit.
  • If someone is injured and another group member must provide first aid, unless the injured person and the person providing first aid are part of the same "social circle", neither will be permitted to participate in any OOC outing for 14 days. (Unless the medical situation is urgent, we will try to use emergency personnel.)

We are continually re-evaluating what we might be able to offer as the city, provincial, and federal governments continue to update their recommendations.

Much of Gatineau Park, the NCC Greenbelt, and the NCC's urban lands are open and accessible to individuals to varying degrees.

Information about COVID-19 is available from Ottawa Public Health, Public Health Ontario, Quebec health information, and the Government of Canada.

If you are not a member of the Ottawa Outdoor Club, we invite you to become a member. Details are available on our membership registration page.