The City of Winnipeg is laying off hundreds of city workers during the novel coronavirus outbreak. On Wednesday, the city said 674 non-permanent staff working at the city-owned and -operated rec centres, pools, arenas and libraries that were closed last month are now being temporarily laid off. “COVID-19 is having a tremendous impact on our community and our economy, and the closure of city facilities has resulted in a significant reduction in our services,” said the city’s interim chief administrative officer, Mike Ruta, in a release. “While we want to support our employees, we also need to ensure we are being responsible with taxpayers’ money.