VICTORIA -- The B.C. government revealed new details of its non-essential travel enforcement plan Friday, confirming that there will be no police road checks on Vancouver Island.
Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said enforcement of the non-essential travel ban will be left up to the provincial RCMP on major highways only between the province’s three health zones.
Because Vancouver Island has been designated as a single zone, there will be no police enforcement of the travel restrictions on the island.
“That being said, I just want to make it clear for people that that does not mean that you go from Victoria to Courtenay or go from Nanaimo up to Port Hardy,” Farnworth said during a news conference Friday.
“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,” he added.
Non-essential travel to Vancouver Island will instead be restricted from the B.C. mainland, relying on BC Ferries staff to ask travellers whether or not their ferry trip is essential.
The solicitor general added that police on the mainland will assist ferry staff with denying non-essential travel to the island, if required.
“Don’t travel from Victoria to the Comox Valley, or Kelowna to the Kootenays,” Farnworth added.
The current travel restrictions are in place until 12:01 a.m. on May 25.
