Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs has a plan as sledding season and record Covid-19 cases collide

As the snow starts to pile up, Ontario snowmobilers are gunning their engines in preparation for a distraction from mounting cases of COVID-19.

But the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) is hoping riders heed public health warnings about travel to different regions and has developed a plan to curb the spread of the coronavirus, especially from hotspots in the south to low-risk areas in the north.

The president of the OFSC, Sudbury's Murray Baker, says it's all being done in co-ordination with public health and based on their prinicples to keep people safe.

For instance, he says any trails in areas deemed locked down by the province, would not be groomed and will show as unavailable on the OFSC's interactive website.

As for areas classified as orange and red in the province's colour-coded pandemic framework, riders may have access in those regions only.

"So if you're in a red region or an orange region, you may be able to ride within that region," explains Baker. "But according to the connecting trails to other regions that may not be in a red or an orange restricted levels, we would be temporarily making them unavailable between them, where we're allowing people to ride within their local region, but not enabling them to go to areas where the more stringent regulations ask for essential travel only."

Baker knows it's a tough sell to tell snowmobilers not to go where the best snow may be.

"So we understand people may put them (snowmobiles) on a trailer and go around. They may trespass across and through those areas, no different than what goes on today," he says. "But we can't control that. All we can do is, is provide trails that allow people to ride and respect what's going on with yellow and green."

Baker says there has been some bristling among members about being told to follow health guidelines when they already perceive the pastime as healthy, in the great outdoors with space between machines and helmets in place, but Baker says it's the social aspect that may create the contact to spread the virus.

"What we are doing is trying to discourage gatherings above the numbers that are requested in each area. So don't stop. And where there are big numbers don't have a large gathering of rides where you end up with people close."

Baker says the OFSC is prepared for anything that may happen, including more areas being locked down in the next few weeks.

He says that will be reflected in the federation's interactive trail map within 48 hours so that people who are planning their trips will see what's open and what's not.

He admits some people have criticized the plan on social media but he's asking for patience and understanding, and for riders to be responsible.