The province has reached an important milestone when it comes to the fight against COVID-19 today, as it has moved towards Step 3 of BC’s Restart Plan, including the loosening of restrictions surrounding Canada-wide recreational travel.
On the heels of Canada’s longest-running state of emergency, on June 29th, Premier John Horgan announced that British Columbia would enter Step 3 of the Restart Plan as of July 1st.
Among the list of many restrictions to be lifted in Step 3, the province announced that Canada-wide recreational travel in and out of BC will once more be allowed, with a few things to keep in mind.
Dr. Bonnie Henry detailed that Canadians travelling to BC from outside of the province are still asked to plan ahead before visiting communities – especially smaller and rural towns, as well as Indigenous communities.
“Be respectful of those you’re visiting,” Henry said during a press conference on Tuesday.
“Not every community has received two doses of their vaccines yet, and some may not be comfortable accepting visitors.”
Strong vaccination programs coupled with low case numbers and hospital rates have allowed the province to move into to Stage 3 in BC’s Restart Plan ahead of schedule.
Despite it being recommended by health officials that inter-provincial travelers be fully vaccinated, this is not a mandate at this time.
Here’s a summary of what else Step 3 and 4 of BC’s Restart Plan include:
The Canada-US border continues to remain closed, and will remain so until at least July 21st, after an announcement by Justin Trudeau that 75% of Canadians will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before the government will be willing to consider lifting border restrictions.
