The closure serve to respond to both federal and provincial directives that people should stay close to home to reduce the transmission of the virus.
The move comes just days ahead of what would in normal times be a very busy travel weekend over the Easter holidays. Though this year, those travels would have been limited or eliminated acting on the advice of Dr. Bonnie Henry, the Public Health Officer for British Columbia.
In a statement to introduce the closure measure, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy George Heyman noted how British Columbians enjoy their time in the provincial parks, but that now is not the time for travel.
“I understand and share the love people in British Columbia have for the outdoors and the connection between health and proximity to nature. We tried to provide safe space for people to get some exercise and fresh air in our beautiful parks. But it has proven too challenging to maintain safe distance between visitors. This action is difficult but necessary. We look forward to the day we can welcome people back to our wonderful parks.
Because physical distancing works, it is critical that we take every action needed to restrict the spread of COVID-19. This applies to British Columbians and out-of-province visitors who were planning to visit or stay at our provincial parks. The message is clear: stay home, avoid travel, do not put yourself or others at risk,”
The decision to close the park system in the province was made after consultation with RCMP, local government First Nations, Local Search and Rescue groups and the general public.The province noted that while many British Columbians are observing the guidance towards physical distancing, some continue to ignore the order, making enforcement in a wilderness setting a challenging situation.
The Province also advised today that they will continue the current ban on camping in Provincial Parks until May 31st as well as to remind British Columbians that Canada's National Parks are also closed.
Today's moves follows up on closures that were announced in March, when the province had closed a number of parks and recreation areas around BC.
BC Parks will expand access to the park system again, once the Public Health Officer indicates that it can be done without increasing the risk of COVID-19 transmission
You can review the full statement from today here.
More notes on other provincial and Federal efforts towards COVID-19 can be found here.
Cross posted from the North Coast Review.
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