The province has broken B.C. up into three travel zones: Vancouver Island, Interior/Northern Health and Vancouver Coastal/Fraser Health. Hope is included in the Interior/North zone, although residents can go to Chilliwack for essentials. Motorists breaking travel rules can be fined $230 for failing to follow instructions at a road check or $575 if the reason for travel violates the essential travel health order Earlier, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said West Vancouver and Delta police departments would staff road checks at ferry terminals, while the RCMP would control road checks on highways between the regions. There are no road checks planned for the Alberta-B.C. border, although the province said signs will be put up.
B.C. road checks for COVID-19 travel ban now allowed
Last Updated May 1, 2021 at 11:06 am PDT
Summary Counter attack style road checks can now be set up to question people who are leaving their travel zones
Passengers will not be questioned about their reasons for travel, BC. s public safety minister said
Visiting someone in long-term care, escaping abuse added to list of essential reasons for travel
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – RCMP in B.C. can now set up road checks at certain spots in the province to prevent people from travelling for non-essential reasons outside of their zones.
The measures are in place in the province’s effort to curb spread of COVID-19, especially variants of concern. People violating the restrictions could be fined hundreds of dollars.
BC Ferries traffic dips as travellers heed non-essential ban
SHARE ON: BC Ferries vessel photo by Troy Landreville, Vista Radio
So far, so good for BC Ferries when it comes to the provincial health order banning non-essential travel.
BC Ferries reported a 32 percent dip in passengers and 25 percent reduction in vehicles across its fleet last weekend, compared to the previous one.
Spokesperson Deborah Marshall says people seem to be getting the message to stay on, and off, Vancouver Island unless it’s essential.
“Our traffic was already down substantially, but with that additional drop, what it means to us is that customers are clearly heeding the order that the province has recently issued and that is to travel for essential reasons only,” Marshall said.
British Columbia has halted non-essential travel between three regional zones in the province.
Announced last Friday, the regional zones are Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley (Fraser Health and Coastal Health regions); Vancouver Island (Island Health region); and Northern/Interior (Interior Health and Northern Health regions).
The order is in effect from April 23 to May 25, 2021.
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“This order applies to non-essential travel. There are circumstances where travel is essential and permissible, such as attending school or work, the commercial transportation of goods, returning to a principal residence, accessing child care, obtaining health care or assisting someone to receive health care,” states a release by the B.C. government.
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VICTORIA, B.C. – “Hunker down and stay local,” says Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety, who held a conference Friday morning regarding the provincial travel restrictions.
The new travel restrictions prohibit non-essential travel into or out of all health authority regions in B.C., effective immediately.
Travel restrictions are in place until after the May long weekend, ending on May 25th. ),whenLoaded(initFlexitive);
Regarding the regional zones, the Northern Health Region and Interior Health Authority are now a combined region. People will only be able to travel within the region.
Residents may still go hiking and camping, but Farnworth reminds residents to “just do it locally”.