FAQs: Tourism businesses and accommodation

Premier Horgan has noted that as we continue to see a decline in COVID-19 cases, we’ll see the reopening of the tourism industry and will be encouraging British Columbians (and Canadians later on) to travel and support tourism businesses, when the time is right and it’s safe to do so. We will continue to keep industry informed as the summer unfolds and we learn more. Destination BC is working closely with Minister Beare and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, as well as industry partners from every corner of our province, to assess how tourism fits into the Plan and what our new normal may look like, and we have updated our Marketing Road to Recovery to align with the Province’s Restart Plan.

As the situation evolves, we are continuing to share the latest updates and analysis for our industry on our weekly calls. You can view all previous calls here.

We know tourism businesses have faced significant hardship, and are eager to start welcoming guests again.

Phase 2 of BC’s Restart Plan does not begin until May 19. If COVID-19 transmissions remain low and travel restrictions change, and as we begin to transition into Phase 3 of the Province’s Restart Plan, it may be that more and more tourism businesses are able to safely welcome guests back. All decisions about when it is safe for tourism businesses to begin welcoming guests again will be made by public health officials.

It depends where your guests are coming from, and when. From what we heard in BC’s Restart Plan announcement, travel within BC (by BC residents) will be the first type of travel that’s allowed once travel restrictions are lifted. In the plan, they’ve indicated this could happen sometime in June, but any decision made will be dependent on the current health conditions and guidance of our Provincial Health Officer.

On May 15, WorkSafeBC released an initial set of guidelines to help businesses and organizations included in Phase 2 of BC’s Restart Plan develop their plans to reopen safely in the coming days and weeks. You can find the announcement here.

The guidelines that are being developed will show how businesses need to modify their operations, to follow the Provincial Health Officer’s orders and recommendations.

All decisions about when it is safe for tourism businesses to begin welcoming guests again will be made by public health officials.

Our common goal is to keep British Columbians safe while getting people back to their work and livelihoods.

For more information, please visit https://www.destinationbc.ca/covid-19/industry-resources/operating-guidelines/.

Federal and Provincial health officials have ordered Canadians to stay home to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Coupled with the current ban on any incoming travelers to Canada, most businesses will unfortunately not have guests until this crisis has passed.

However, it is important to know what to do in suspected cases of COVID-19, to ensure you can keep staff up-to-date on the situation.

The BC COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool, developed with the BC Ministry of Health, can help determine whether further assessment or testing for the virus. Visitors or staff members can complete the assessment for themselves, or on behalf of someone else.

To arrange for further assessment or testing for COVID-19, call your local primary care provider or 8-1-1. Those who are deaf or hard of hearing can call 7-1-1. This is a free-of-charge provincial health information and advice phone line operated by HealthLinkBC. Translation services are available in more than 130 languages.

Note:

• Anyone returning to Canada from abroad, including from the US, must stay self-isolate for 14 days on their return. Read the Official Global Travel Advisory.
• Anyone who begins to feel ill can call the local healthcare provider or the 8-1-1 or 7-1-1 numbers above.
• Anyone can seek medical attention at local hospitals or urgent care centres. However, it is important to call ahead to your local hospital, doctor or urgent care centre first.
• Where language may be a barrier, businesses can provide support by offering to contact a health-care professional on their behalf.

Those who suspect they might have COVID-19 symptoms, should provide health-care professionals with the following information (via phone):

• Symptoms;
• Where they have been travelling, working or living;
• If they had close contact with a sick person, especially someone with a fever, cough or difficulty breathing.

In the event of an emergency, call 9-1-1.

Find the nearest hospital or health centre here.

Please follow the direction of your local health authority. Call 8-1-1 (or 7-1-1 for the deaf or hard of hearing) for advice and provide them with information about your business, number of staff/visitors, and general operations.

For any health measures or sanitation precautions that need to be taken, please refer to our health experts at the BC Centre for Disease Control.

The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture is working with sector associations and health authorities to develop guidelines for tourism businesses to operate safely during the pandemic. All decisions about when it is safe for tourism businesses to begin welcoming guests again will be made by public health officials. The guidelines that are being developed will show how businesses need to modify their operations, (like the considerations you’ve mentioned below), to follow the Provincial Health Officer’s orders and recommendations. Our common goal is to keep British Columbians safe while getting people back to their work and livelihoods.

Gatherings larger than 50 people are not permitted in British Columbia until further notice. This includes indoor and outdoor sporting events, conferences, meetings, tours and other similar events. While provincial and federal governments are asking people to stay home and only go out when essential, if a tour with less than 50 people is proceeding, it is mandatory that the physical distancing measures set out by our Provincial Health Officer be enforced.

For further information, refer to Public Health Agency of Canada’s Risk Considerations when deciding whether to postpone or cancel your tour.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the following sanitary/preventative measures should be taken.

Perform routine environmental cleaning:

• Routinely clean all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, countertops, and doorknobs. Use the cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas and follow the directions on the label.
• Provide disposable wipes so that commonly used/touches surfaces (for example, doorknobs, keyboards, remote controls, desks) can be wiped down by employees before each use.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html

Handwashing and other

The most important thing you can do to prevent infection is to wash your hands regularly and avoid touching your face, eyes, nose or mouth. You can also practice respiratory etiquette and social distancing.

To help reduce your risk of infection

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Using soap and water is the single most effective way of reducing the spread of infection
• If a sink is not available, alcohol-based hand rubs (ABHR) can be used to clean your hands as long as they are not visibly soiled. If they are visibly soiled, use a wipe and then ABHR to effectively clean them
• Do not touch your face, eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands
• Follow good respiratory etiquette by covering your mouth and nose with a disposable tissue or the crease of your elbow when you sneeze or cough
• Regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces
• Do not share food, drinks, utensils, etc.
• Maintain social distancing by keeping at least 2 metres distance between yourself and others
• Avoid shaking hands

Should you wear a mask?

• Only wear a mask if you are ill with COVID-19 symptoms (especially coughing) or looking after someone who may have COVID-19
• A disposable face mask can only be used once
• It may be less effective to wear a mask if you are not sick

Source: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-feature/coronavirus-disease-covid-19

Housing for workers is typically provided as part of the remuneration package outlined in collective agreements or employment contracts rather than in legislation or regulation. Employers should review their obligations under their collective agreements, employment contracts or company policies. If employers are unsure, they should seek legal advice based on their unique situation. We all know that this is an incredibly difficult time for business and their employees, and we’re encouraging everyone to work together to find workable solutions to the exceptional problems we are all facing.

Go to travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories for up-to-date travel advice and advisories from the Government of Canada.

If you have travelled outside Canada, including to the US, you must self-isolate for a total of 14 days from your return. If symptoms arise, use the BC COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool to help determine whether further assessment or testing for the virus is needed. You can complete the assessment for yourself, or on behalf of someone else, if they are unable to.

The most up-to-date information on travel can be found here:

http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/about-covid-19/travel

Air operators have been formally mandated to prevent any travelers with symptoms to board a plane at point of origin, meaning anyone who has symptoms will not be able to come to Canada.

Canada is denying entry to travelers who are not Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents. With some exception such as air crews and diplomats. Learn more in Canada’s Response to COVID-19.

On May 14, RSTBC will reopen many recreation sites, beaches, picnic areas, outhouses and boat launches for day-use. Recreation sites remain closed to camping.

On June 1, RSTBC will re-open most recreation sites to camping.

• To ensure physical distancing, you may notice some changes in campgrounds, including additional spacing between campsites and limitations on the number of guests in campgrounds
• Backcountry cabins will remain closed

Recreation sites that attract large crowds may remain closed until it is safe to reopen at a later date.

For more information, please visit Recreation Sites and Trails BC.

On May 14, BC Parks will start to reopen the majority of provincial parks and protected areas and marine parks.
People across the province will have more access to safe outdoor recreation opportunities, while meeting the guidelines of the Provincial Health Officer (PHO). For more information, please visit the BC Parks website. 

On June 1, BC Parks plans to re-open many provincial campgrounds and back-country camping. In preparation, they have released the Visitor Guide to Camping during COVID-19, which outlines need-to-know information for visitors to ensure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable stay, while adhering to the latest health directives – including staying local. We also encourage you to look through the Discover Camping FAQs and Re-opening FAQs, share with your networks, and help British Columbians enjoy their local Parks safely!

As of April 6, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, all marine passenger vessels with a capacity of more than 12 passengers are prohibited from engaging in non-essential activities, such as tourism or recreation (e.g. day tours, whale watching, or sightseeing). These measures will remain in place until June 30, 2020, at the earliest. Read more here.

The Premier and health authorities are still asking us to avoid all non-essential, inter-community travel around our province to ensure we’re not compromising the great efforts and sacrifices we have all made over the last two months. This is especially true for travel to remote communities, who may not have the resources to handle a COVID-19 outbreak.

You can find the latest visitor information on our website here: https://www.hellobc.com/what-you-need-to-know/

The Government of British Columbia announced BC’s Restart Plan, which outlines the next steps to move BC through the pandemic.

Right now, people are still being asked to avoid all non-essential travel to and around BC.

You can read more about the plan here.

And, for provincial borders and restrictions, you can find that information here.

Borders are a federal decision in conversation with the province and assessed risk levels, and border re-openings will depend on the circumstances here and in the country of origin.

For anything related to borders and non-residents, please check the Government of Canada and Canada Border Services Agency for the latest.

As part of BC’s Restart Plan announced May 6, gatherings or events larger than 50 people continue to be prohibited until further notice. This includes indoor and outdoor sporting events, conferences, meetings, religious gatherings and other similar events. While provincial and federal governments are asking people to stay home and only go out when essential, if an event or gathering with less than 50 people is proceeding, it is mandatory that the physical distancing measures set out by our Provincial Health Officer be enforced.

For further information on gatherings under 50, refer to Public Health Agency of Canada’s Risk Considerations when deciding whether to postpone or cancel your event.

The ban includes indoor and outdoor sporting events, conferences, meetings, religious gatherings and other similar events.

For further information on gatherings under 50, refer to Public Health Agency of Canada’s Risk Considerations when deciding whether to postpone or cancel your event.

Public safety is the number one priority. If an individual is showing symptoms, BC Public Health authorities are asking those individuals to self-isolate in order to prevent the spread of the virus.