London

What's closed in London: COVID-19

An up-to-date list of cancelled, postponed or changed events due to COVID-19.

If you know of a cancellation, closure or change, email londonnewstips@cbc.ca

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect more people and communities around the world, here's what you need to know in London and the surrounding region: 

City of London:

  • The City of London has closed all pools, arenas and community centres. It has also cancelled all March Break camps, recreational programming and community rentals.

Entertainment: 

  • The Grand Theatre has decided to suspend its productions, events and rentals effective immediately. That includes the production of Room and Grow. The Jeans n Classics show on April 2 will be cancelled, the City Symposium scheduled for March 31 will not take place at the Grand. Ticket holders should contact the box office. 
  • Budweiser Garden's Baby Shark Live! has been postponed, as has Jeff Dunham. It's also likely that Kane Brown will be postponed. Chad Brownlee and Lauren Alaina has been cancelled. 
  • Stratford Festival cancels performances and all events at its facilities until May 2. Plays were set to start April 11 but the theatre says it can't risk allowing "the show to go on." Ticket holders will be contacted about rebooking. 
  • Wolf Performance Hall has cancelled all upcoming shows.
  • All Ontario casinos, including the one at the Western Fair, are closed indefinitely. 

Shopping:

  • Masonville Mall is reducing its hours to 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday for two weeks starting Monday, March 16.
  • White Oaks Mall is also reducing its hours to 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and 12 to 5 p.m. on Sunday for two weeks starting Monday, March 16. 

Courts/Police:

  • London Police Service is asking people to avoid visiting headquarters. It will not be accepting in-person record check applications or in-person Freedom of Information requests. Officers dispatched to homes will be asking additional questions related to COVID-19. Emergency services are unchanged. 
  • Jury trials scheduled for the Ontario Superior Court have been suspended. Anyone called for jury duty for an upcoming trial should not attend court, officials say. 
Western University has cancelled its classes and is moving to online moving. (Dave Chidley/CBC)

Education: 

  • All Ontario publicly funded elementary and high schools will be closed two weeks after the end of March Break until April 6.  
  • Western University and its affiliate colleges have cancelled classes, opting to run exams through on-line portals.
  • Fanshawe College has cancelled classes from March 16 - 20, with on-line classes starting March 23, 2020. The college says students can go back to class when elementary and high school students return. 
  • Western University and its affiliated colleges, as well as Fanshawe College, have cancelled March Break open houses, scheduled for this Saturday. 

Public Libraries/Leisure activities:

  • The YMCA has closed all fitness and Aquatic centres until April 6. The Y says it will offer a credit for the duration of the closure. 
  • All London Public Library branches, and associated events, programs and room rentals are cancelled. The library will reassess opening for April 06. The good news is that no fines will be charged for materials currently on loan and due dates have been automatically extended.
  • Boler Mountain has closed for the season. Updates for the green season will be released in early April.
  • The London Children's Museum is also temporarily closed to the public.
  • Junction Climbing Centre will be open to only members on Monday, March 16, and will temporarily close to all visitors starting Tuesday, March 17.

Gatherings:

  • The Roman Catholic Diocese of London has cancelled mass for the weekend. The church will monitor the situation for the upcoming week. Private prayer continues. 
  • The Anglican Diocese of Huron has suspended church services. Community groups using church facilities are also asked to cancel meetings. The dioceses extends from London to Windsor, and north to Tobermory. 
  • The London Muslim Mosque said Friday prayers will proceed as scheduled, with shortened khutbahs. Daily prayers will also be offered as planed, but community members to bring their own prayer rugs. 
  • London Intercommunity Health Centre is cancelling all community programs, including senior's drop-in sessions, cooking classes and mindfulness courses. 

Are we missing something? Let us know

If you know of a cancellation, closure or change, we want to hear from you.

Email londonnewstips@cbc.ca 

London Transit bus.
London Transit will begin additional cleaning procedures on its buses effective Sat. March 14. (Paula Duhatschek/CBC)

London Transit: 

  • London Transit will begin additional cleaning and disinfection of various touch points on its buses such as buttons and straps on a nightly basis starting Sat. March 14. Employees and customers are being reminded to wash their hands frequently and to take other precautions. 

VIA Rail: 

  • VIA Rail is reducing service on its Quebec City - Windsor corridor by 50-per cent, starting Tuesday, March 17. To see a list of impacted trains, click here
RBC Place in London continues to host meetings and business conferences - for now -  despite concerns about the spread of COVID-19.
RBC Place in London continues to host meetings and business conferences - for now - despite concerns about the spread of COVID-19. (rbcplacelondon.com)

Conferences: 

  • Western Fair is cancelling three upcoming trade shows: The Speed and Custom Show, The National Poultry Show and The Home and Outdoor Show. If you have tickets, they'll be reimbursed. 
  • The London Chamber of Commerce Business Achievement Awards will go ahead as planned on March 25. Those attending are being told to wash their hands, cover their coughs and sneezes, and to be mindful of elevator buttons and escalators. Those who are sick are asked to stay home.
  • Social Media North, a conference for 1,200 people in May in Stratford, will be rescheduled for sometime in July or August, organizers said. 
  • It's business as usual at RBC Place, formerly known as the London Convention Centre, but staff are intensifying their cleaning procedures and sanitizing surfaces such as doorknobs. 
  • The London & Area Works Job Fair has decided to cancel its April 21 in-person job fair. Organizers say they're looking at options and will communicate solutions with employers.
A report coming to London city council lays out a plan to spend $33 million in upgrades to Budweiser Gardens with the work coming in two phases and the city's share being about $27 million.
Two major tenants of Budweiser Gardens: The London Knights and the London Lightning have suspended their schedules in response to the outbreak. (Andrew Lupton/CBC)

Sports: 

  • The National Basketball League of Canada, which includes the London Lightning, has suspended the remainder of its season. 
  • The Canadian Hockey League, which includes the OHL's London Knights, has paused its season until further notice. 
  • The London Majors baseball team posted a notice saying they're watching the situation closely but have not yet made any decisions as their season doesn't start until May. 

Other: 

  • All GoodLife and Fit4Less clubs across Canada are closed, effective Monday, March 16. The company says all member payments are being suspended and paid-in-full memberships will be extended. 
  • Movati Athletic clubs in London are also closed until further notice.