Travel Restrictions to Curb the Spread of COVID-19 Come into Effect
Today, BC Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, the Honourable Mike Farnworth, announced under the Emergency Program Act an order restricting non-essential travel between certain regions of the province effective from April 23, 2021 until May 25, 2021.
The order combines BC's five health authorities into three (3) regions of the province. Travel into and out of the regions for non-essential reasons is not allowed and is now prohibited by law. The regions are:
Vancouver Island (Vancouver Island Health)
Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley (Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health)
Northern/Interior (Northern Health and Interior Health, including the Thompson Okanagan region, Bella Coola Valley, the Central Coast, and Hope)
Non-essential travel includes:
Vacations, weekend getaways and tourism activities
Visiting family or friends for social reasons
Recreation activities
Essential travel includes:
Returning to your principal residence, moving or helping someone move
Work, both paid and unpaid (volunteer)
Commercial transportation of goods
Getting health care or social services or helping someone get those services
Court appearance, complying with a court order or parole check-in
Shared custody agreement
Child care services
Attending school at a post-secondary institution
Responding to a critical incident, like search and rescue operations
Providing care to a person because of a psychological, behavioural or health condition, or a physical, cognitive or mental impairment
Providing care or assistance to a person who is seriously ill, disabled or has a physical or cognitive impairment
Visiting a resident (as an essential visitor) at:
A community care facility licensed under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act that provides long term care within the meaning of section 2 of the Residential Care Regulation
A private hospital licensed under the Hospital Act
A non-profit institution that has been designated as a hospital under the Hospital Act and is operated primarily for the reception and treatment of persons requiring extended care at a higher level than that generally provided in a private hospital licensed under the Hospital Act
Attending a funeral
Enforcement:
The goal of the order is education and reminding people about travel restrictions
If the restrictions need to be enforced, police can issue a fine. At the discretion of police, people not obeying the travel restrictions may be subject to a $575 fine
Police will not be engaging in random checks
Periodic road checks may be set up at key travel corridors during times associated with leisure travel to remind travellers of the order
People from outside the province who are travelling to B.C. for non-essential reasons can be subject to the same enforcement measures
Additional measures:
Additional measures are in place to support the restriction on non-essential travel, including increased signage on highways and at border crossings reminding travellers of current restrictions; and
Hotels and resorts eliminating or cancelling bookings from out-of-area guests
Travellers who have a camping reservation with BC Parks in another region can reschedule or cancel for free at any time and get a full refund
Joint Statement Asking People to Stay Local to Bend the Curve
Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport; Richard Porges, Interm President and CEO, Destination BC; Brenda Baptiste, Chair, Indigenous Tourism BC; Walt Judas, CEO, Tourism Industry of BC; and Ingrid Jarrett, President and CEO, BC Hotel Association have released a statement asking all British Columbians to stay local unless travel is absolutely essential.
The Tourism Industry Association of BC, BC Hotel Association, Destination BC, BC Regional Tourism Secretariat (including Tourism Vancouver Island) and Indigenous Tourism BC have collectively developed a toolkit for accommodators and tourism operators to communicate changes to guests, staff and stakeholders. The communications toolkit includes key messaging, a Q&A, and other resources to ensure industry is better-positioned to handle these restrictions.
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