VANCOUVER -- When the owner of North Shore Academy of Dancing submitted his new COVID-19 plan to the local health authority, he was surprised at how quickly it was approved.
Dylan Steyns was able to re-open the studio only five days after indoor fitness facilities in Metro Vancouver were ordered to close.
“The process actually moved quite quickly,” said Steyns, who didn’t expect to be allowed to open before the new two week COVID-19 restrictions expire on Nov. 23.
And he didn’t have to change much to get the green light. “I’m happy to say the majority of things that needed to be achieved in order to be safe we were already doing, maybe even more than that at the time,” Steyns said.
While some other dance and spin studios in the Vancouver Coastal Health region have also been allowed to re-open, indoor fitness facilities in Fraser Health remain closed.
“We’re just very confused because other places in Coastal Health are now opening up, and we have all our procedures in place and we go above and beyond and are trying to see what we can do to reopen for the kids,” said Jennifer Sontowski, the owner of Encore Dance Academy in Port Coquitlam.
She submitted her new COVID-19 plan on Nov. 9, but hasn’t heard back. “We moved our classes all on Zoom right now, we are unfortunately losing students that are not able to Zoom at home, don’t have space at home. It’s very difficult to continue,” she said. “We welcome Fraser Health to our studio here to see our procedures, let us know what can we do.”
But Fraser Health’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Victoria Lee, says all indoor fitness facilities in that region will remain closed for the full two weeks, as per Dr. Bonnie Henry’s order.
After the businesses are given new guidance, they’ll be invited to submit their plans for approval. As for why some indoor fitness facilities in Vancouver Coastal have been allowed to re-open before the two weeks are up, Lee suggested there were "discrepancies" in how Henry's order was interpreted.
“But across the board, whether it’s Vancouver Coastal or Fraser Health, it’s been clarified we need to have that enhanced checklist of what we are looking for for those indoor sporting activities," Lee said.
Steyns is relieved his studio was approved early, but with COVID cases still rising, he’s realistic.
“The truth is, I wouldn’t be surprised if we closed again. I don’t want to say that, but I think it is reality right now,” said Steyns. “For now, dance is on. And we’re happy about that.”
