The Penticton channel is filling up with people looking to cool off from the heat.

(MEAGHAN ARCHER / iNFOnews.ca)

For Okanaganites, nothing quite says summer than a refreshing float down Penticton's river channel.

The man-made waterway,  also known as the Okanagan River Channel,  was first created in the 1950s to control flooding and water flow from the Okanagan Lake to Skaha Lake.

The seven-kilometre river float has since changed into a beloved community staple that draws people from across the valley for an up-to three hour river float.  Coyote Cruises, which offers shuttle and innertubes, said that today, June 27, the float only takes an hour and fifteen minutes from start to finish.

In a recent interview, Coyote Cruises operator Mike Campol said COVID-19 was expected to offer some challenges but they were up for it. Recently a long list of COVID-19 Procedures for health and safety were posted on its website and included insights into how social distancing will be maintained. Among the things listed, the shuttle bus will only be 2/3 full. Personal inflation services will not be provided and staff will not be helping guests in and out of the channel.

• All staff will be wearing masks, gloves and when required face shields
• Plexiglas separation installed at all customer contact points
• Covid-19 safety signage installed at entry and both exit points
• New online booking software allowing for guests to book in advance
• Drybags (5L) and waterproof iphone/key bags will be available for purchase as lockers will not be available
• Guest lines will adhere to social distancing
• Following all health protocols based on public health guidelines
• Transportation
• Buses will fill at 2/3 capacity and some seats will be removed to allow for appropriate distancing
• The bus driver will not be on the bus when guests are entering
• Equipment is sanitized after each use
• Bus seats are sanitized after each use
• All guests boarding will use hand sanitizer
• Additional buses in service to account for less capacity
• There will be no garbage disposal provided on the bus (garbage cans are available before entering and at exit)
• No payments will be allowed at mid/end to board shuttle. Wristbands must be purchased at the start (215 Riverside Drive)
• Tubes
• Each tube will be sanitized before use (our cleanliness policy in 2019)
• Customers will exit channel and return tubes to the designated area
• Staff will not be helping guests out of the water to adhere to social distancing
• They will not be offering personal inflation services

To contact a reporter for this story, email Kathy Michaels or call 250-718-0428 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2020