New rules at B.C. borders

Premier John Horgan announced new travel restrictions on April 19 to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The new restrictions are intended to enforce quarantine measures, their purpose is to encourage B.C. residents to stay within the county and reduce non-essential travel.

The official order is expected to arrive later this week, and the restrictions will be in place until the end of the long weekend in May.

Given the restrictions, B.C. residents will not be able to book lodging or camping in other counties. Operators will cancel all reservations in the event of discrepancies. Trailer and camping car rentals will also be unavailable, and those who have already paid for a reservation will have to reconsider their plans.

However, residents in other provinces will only be restricted by road signs reminding people to stay within their provinces. There are no plans to install checkpoints at this stage.

The official order of restrictions will be put into effect this week and they will be in effect until May 24. The choice of date has been attributed to the COVID-19 vaccine being administered to 60% of the adult population by that date.

Technically it's allowed to travel within local health authorities, but Horgan urged residents to stay close to home for the next five weeks.

All passengers will be searched at checkpoints, and if there is no valid reason for the trip, they will have to go back. Violators of the restrictions will face serious fines, although the amount is not disclosed.

The provincial government says new border signs will be installed along the B.C.-Alberta border to remind people to stay within their province if travel is not necessary.