BC announces details on travel restrictions that split province into 3 regions

The Government of British Columbia has outlined the details of the travel restrictions that are officially in effect as of this morning.

Mike Farnworth, minister of public safety and solicitor general, confirmed what’s been discussed for much of the week about restricting non-essential travel into or out of all health authority regions in BC.

However, there’s a bit of a twist, as Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health will be considered one region for these restrictions, as will Interior Health and Northern Health.

Essentially, the province is split into three regions for the purpose of travel.

Farnworth said that you can travel within your combined region, not out of it, but added that it doesn’t mean you should travel within your region if it’s not essential.

He encouraged people to “do the right thing,” saying that people can absolutely go camping or hiking, but to do it locally.

“We need to hunker down and stay local,” Farnworth explained. “If we act now, do the right thing, we can still have a summer that’s more like those we’re all used to.”

These travel restrictions are a legal order that have been put into place under the Emergency Program Act and they’ll remain in effect through the May long weekend, specifically until May 25.

Anyone who contravenes this new order is subject to a $575 fine.

According to Farnworth, the Province is working with a number of agencies in support of these travel restrictions, including:

• Ministry of Transportation on signage regarding the new restrictions on highways and at the border.
• BC Ferries on deterring non-essential bookings and limiting sailings.
• Tourism industry to decline new bookings from outside their region.
• BC Parks to inform the public about restrictions and issue refunds when necessary.
• ICBC for those who have booked road tests outside their region to reschedule those tests without hassle.
• Police departments on enforcement measures.
  
  
  

In the coming days, the Province will also work with police to establish additional measures to ensure they have the necessary authority to conduct periodic roadside checks, similar to the CounterAttack program.

However, Farnworth said that it's mostly up to British Columbians to play their part, as most have been doing since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"If a friend or family member is planning to break the rules, let them know that now is not the time to travel," he said.

"The new variant strains are infecting more people and resulting in record levels of hospitalizations that place a growing strain on the front-line health workers who have been here for us throughout this pandemic."

With 30% of the eligible population now vaccinated, a number that's expected to double while these restrictions are in place for the next month, Farnworth stressed that now is the time to do the right thing to ensure a more normal summer.

There are some exceptions to these travel restrictions for things like work, school, child-care services, healthcare services or attending a funeral.

You can learn more about those exceptions and plenty more regarding these travel restrictions on the Government of BC website.