Minister to release enforcement details of COVID-19 travel ban in B.C.
Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth speaks to media during a news conference in the press gallery at the legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Monday February 5, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito April 30, 2021 - 1:00 AM
VICTORIA - British Columbia s solicitor general is expected to announce more details about enforcement of a travel ban aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19.
Mike Farnworth, who is also the public safety minister, announced orders a week ago to limit non-essential travel between three regional zones until May 25.
He has said police will conduct periodic road checks at key travel points and violators could be issued $575 fines.
Police will only be called if necessary. “That’s what’s been taking place and it’s been working quite well so far,” Farnworth said.
He cautioned, however, that people should still be following the advice of provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and staying close to home even within a particular region.
“I just want to make it clear to people that that does not mean that you go from Victoria to Courtenay or you go from Nanaimo up to Port Hardy,” he said.
“It still means that those travel advisories that are in place by Dr. Bonnie Henry are still there, which means stay local, stay in your own community, and that is the best way to help prevent transmission.”
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Under the order, non-essential travel is banned between three regional zones in the province: • 1. Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley (Fraser Health and Coastal Health regions); • Vancouver Island (Island Health region); • Northern/Interior (Interior Health and Northern Health regions). During the first weekend of the new travel restrictions, BC Ferries vehicle traffic was down more than 25 per cent fleet-wide and passenger traffic was down more than 30 per cent, compared to the weekend before the order was implemented. Farnworth said resort communities and accommodation businesses have contacted the province to note significant declines in out-of-region visitors and bookings, while BC Parks has reported more than 5,000 cancellations in the past few weeks.
Farnworth explains that these “counterattack-style” road checks can be set up on highway corridors that connect different regional zones. He stresses that you won’t see them, however, in areas such as downtown Vancouver or Boundary Road.
If a driver is stopped at a roadside check, police will be able to ask for the driver’s name, address, and driver’s licence, any available documentation regarding their name or address, such as secondary identification that would confirm the driver’s residential address if they’ve recently moved.
Police will also be able to ask the purpose of the driver’s travel, although documentation will not be required. Passengers in the vehicle won’t need to provide any information.