WESTLOCK – As COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the province following the Christmas holidays, the annual Westlock Curling Club’s Town and Country Bonspiel, which had been slated to run Dec. 30 to Jan. 2, has been cancelled.
While the Government of Alberta did not announce any new restrictions preventing the bonspiel from taking place, club president Erin Wiese did not want to take any risks.
“We were waiting to see if there would be any new restrictions from the province or from Curling Alberta, but there haven’t been any. With the changing situation and uncertainty, we decided it was safer to not host it,” said Wiese.
With the cancellation of the bonspiel, New Year's Eve celebrations slated to take place over the weekend were also called off, but Wiese notes that an event could be held later in the month.
Shortly before the holidays, the Omicron COVID-19 variant became the main strain present in Alberta after it overtook the Delta variant. Omicron is reported to be more contagious than past strains and has spread rapidly across the country, causing a surge in cases.
Teams planning to hurry hard will have another opportunity to compete in 2021 at the club’s mixed bonspiel is slated for Feb. 11-13.
“Any teams we had cancel on are welcome to come to this bonspiel,” said Wiese, noting they will be following COVID-19 restrictions and may need to reschedule, but remain optimistic.
