In an unusual joint statement, the Canadian Coast Guard, the U.S. Coast Guard, RCMP, Emergency Management BC and other agencies are asking recreational boaters to avoid unnecessary travel over the long weekend.
The multi-agency statement also called on boaters who do choose to venture out to “observe public health guidelines, and proceed with common sense and good judgment.”
The Canada Border Services Agency was also a signatory on the statement, which includes a reminder that a temporary restriction on all non-essential trips across the Canada-U.S. border will remain in place until at least May 21.
“Boaters travelling across international borders for non-essential purposes, including recreation and tourism, will be turned around,” the statement said.
The statement also points out that many small and First Nations communities along the Coast remain closed to visitors to protect themselves from the spread of COVID-19.
“If boaters must travel, they should be prepared to be self-sufficient as they may not have access to fuel, supplies and other services on their trip,” the statement advises.
The statement aimed at boaters follows similar comments earlier this week from BC Ferries, Premier John Horgan and Health Minister Adrian Dix.
At his May 13 briefing with Dr. Bonnie Henry, Dix also touched on the theme that if you do choose to travel you should remain self-sufficient, citing a trip to Sechelt as an example.
“If you’re going to go to, for example, Sechelt, there will be a time in the future where we’ll encourage everyone to shop locally in Sechelt, but for the moment if you are going to go to Sechelt, if you are going to go to the Shuswap, or if you are going to go to the Gulf Islands, bring your own food [and] necessities there so you’re able to maintain some semblance of a bubble at that new location,” Dix said.
“It’s very, very important to do so and be respectful of the communities you’re visiting and their concerns and their needs.”
Although the premier, the health minister and others continue to advise people against travelling unless they have to, Horgan also said at a news conference this week that the government and Destination BC are getting ready for an “aggressive” marketing strategy to promote staycations as pandemic restrictions continue to ease.
“After we get through the weekend, after we see continued positive results, we’ll see a reopening of our tourism sector,” he said. “But it’s really difficult to talk about how we’re going to deal with July and August and September when we’re right in the heart of May and we're trying to give the message to British Columbians that we're not there yet.”
