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:

  1. Vancouver Island (Vancouver Island Health)

  2. Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley (Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health)

  3. Northern/Interior (Northern Health and Interior Health, including the Thompson Okanagan region, Bella Coola Valley, the Central Coast, and Hope)

 
unnamed (8).png
 

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:


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.


unnamed (7).jpg

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.


Thompson+Okanagan+Tourism+Resiliency+Program.png

We are here to support you. 

We know this is a challenging and confusing time for our industry, tourism businesses, employers, and employees. The Tourism Resiliency Program is FREE and here to help with one-on-one support, programs, and resources.

Previous
Previous

New Mountain Biking BC Website Encourages Visitors to Dream Now, Travel Later

Next
Next

Glohaven is Inviting Biosphere Committed Companies to Globox