FAQs: Tourism businesses and accommodation

On June 24, 2020, Premier Horgan announced that British Columbia is taking the next step in BC’s Restart Plan with a gradual transition to Phase 3, including the smart, safe and respectful return of travel and tourism within the province.

In alignment with Phase 3 of BC’s Restart Plan, Destination BC has launched a new chapter of its successful Explore BC campaigns: an extensive domestic marketing campaign encouraging BC residents to plan and book their trips for travel throughout the province this summer and into the fall.

The campaign is designed to promote safe travel practices, re-ignite BC’s tourism industry revenue, promote BC tourism businesses and destinations, and rekindle British Columbians’ curiosity and passion for the place they live. Once appropriate, the campaign will later extend into Alberta and the rest of Canada.

We continue to work closely with Minister Beare and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, as well as industry partners from every corner of our province, to keep BC tourism partners informed as we work together towards a new normal for tourism here in British Columbia.

Please join our bi-weekly industry calls for the latest updates, subscribe to our industry newsletter, and find us on our corporate social media channels: Twitter and LinkedIn.

We are now in Phase 3 of BC’s Restart Plan, which permits province-wide travel. As venture further afield and share BC’s beauty, we need to remember that like other activities during the pandemic, summer vacations and travel will be different this year.

As an industry, we must encourage travellers to take more time with planning, and be more conscious of the impact on communities—especially the smaller ones, when they visit. As a starting point, Destination BC has compiled 10 tips to help people plan and travel responsibly in BC this summer.

By following the foundational rules that have allowed our province to enter Phase 3—physical distancing, staying home when sick, hand hygiene, wearing masks when necessary, and other protective measures—we can continue on this path together and keep welcoming guests to explore our province, safely.

WorkSafeBC has released guidelines for businesses and organizations in Phase 2 and 3 of BC’s Restart Plan to help them develop their COVID-19 Safety Plans to reopen safely.

Many BC tourism businesses will also benefit from the additional resources compiled by go2HR. To support industry, go2HR has rounded up several industry associations’ sector specific guidance, and provided a 4-step recommendation on how to use these guides along with WorkSafeBC protocols to build a robust COVID-19 Safety Plan for your business.

For more information, please visit Destination BC’s Operating Guidelines page.

On September 8, Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC’s Provincial Health Officer, announced a number of new restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19. While a written order has not yet been issued, Dr. Henry announced immediate closures on nightclubs and stand-alone banquet halls, along with other restrictions to bar and liquor service including restricting liquor service at 10pm.

Please note, hotel banquets do not fall under this new order – only stand-alone banquet halls, which include community halls or similar entities. The restrictions outlining beverage consumption also do not apply to hotels and ‘dancing music’ is still permitted. Please continue to reach out to BC Hotel Association should you have any questions at membership@bcha.com.

As we await an update to the written order, here is the, now outdated, written Provincial Health Officer (PHO) Public Order for owners and operators of restaurants, coffee shops, cafes, cafeterias and food primary and liquor primary establishments, including pubs, bars, lounges and nightclubs, as well as manufacturing facilities that have tasting rooms and lounges.

Find all Orders, Notices and Guidance issued by the Provincial Health Officer.

As restrictions are eased, it is important to know what to do in suspected cases of COVID-19, to ensure we do our part to protect the progress we have made.

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.
• 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 BC’s health experts at the BC Centre for Disease Control.

Employers are required to develop a COVID-19 Safety Plan that outlines the policies, guidelines, and procedures they have put in place to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. The plan follows six distinct steps.

While employers are not required to submit plans to WorkSafeBC for approval, in accordance with the order of the Provincial Health Officer, this plan must be posted at the worksite. During a WorkSafeBC inspection, inspectors will ask employers about the steps they have taken to protect their workers or to see the plan if it has been developed.

Employers must also ensure they are abiding by any relevant orders, notices, or guidance issued by the Provincial Health Officer and the health authority relevant to their workplace.

Learn more by visiting WorkSafeBC’s Returning to Safe Operations page and visiting the Province of BC’s Phase 3 page.

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.

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?

• 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
• If you are healthy, wearing a non-medical or cloth mask or face covering is a matter of personal choice and it might help to protect others. This is because some people can spread the virus when they have very mild symptoms or may not know that they are infected. In this case, wearing a mask can help protect others by containing your own droplets when talking, laughing, singing, coughing, or sneezing.

Remember, any mask, no matter how good it is at catching droplets or how well it seals, will have minimal effect if it is not used together with other preventive measures, such as frequent hand washing and physical distancing.

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 on the BC CDC’s Travel page.

British Columbia is now in Phase 3 of BC’s Restart Plan, which means people can take part in smart, safe, and respectful travel within the province.

Here are important things to keep in mind and practice:

“Know before you go”
Even when travelling to another community you know well, it’s important to take more time with planning, and be more conscious of your impact on communities. As a starting point, Destination BC has compiled 10 tips to help you plan and travel responsibly in BC this summer. You can find the latest visitor information on HelloBC’s Know Before You Go page.

Be respectful of communities you plan to visit
While some towns and communities are eager to welcome visitors with safety measures in place, others might be hesitant—everyone must respect local travel advisories from communities that are not ready for visitors. Responsible tourism means that the experience creates a positive impact for all involved–not just the traveller. Keep in mind that you’re a guest of your fellow BC residents when travelling, and respect local guidelines and protocols they’ve put in place in their community during this time.

Be prepared to practice the same precautions away, as you would at home
For example, maintaining 2 metre physical distancing with people outside your travel group and other protective measures. Visit the BC CDC Prevention and Risks page for all precautionary measures to take.

Those travelling to BC from another province or territory within Canada are expected to follow the same Guidelines for BC Travel as British Columbians to ensure the well-being of all.

Here are important things to keep in mind and practice:

“Know before you go”
Even when travelling to another community you know well, it’s important to take more time with planning, and be more conscious of your impact on communities. As a starting point, Destination BC has compiled 10 tips to help you plan and travel responsibly in BC this summer. You can find the latest visitor information on HelloBC’s Know Before You Go page.

Be respectful of communities you plan to visit
While some towns and communities are eager to welcome visitors with safety measures in place, others might be hesitant—everyone must respect local travel advisories from communities that are not ready for visitors. Responsible tourism means that the experience creates a positive impact for all involved–not just the traveller. Keep in mind that you’re a guest of your fellow BC residents when travelling, and respect local guidelines and protocols they’ve put in place in their community during this time.

Be prepared to practice the same precautions away, as you would at home
For example, maintaining 2 metre physical distancing with people outside your travel group and other protective measures. Visit the BC CDC Prevention and Risks page for all precautionary measures to take.

Most communities have a Visitor Centre that will be happy to assist you, and many communities have provided us with a list of what is open. Click here to access what is available in the community you may be visiting.

For more information on inter-provincial travel, visit BC’s Travel Affected by COVID-19 page.

Air operators have been formally mandated to prevent any travellers 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 travellers who are not Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents. With some exception such as air crews and diplomats.

All people entering Canada by air, sea, or land are required to self-isolate for 14 days even if they do not have any COVID-19 symptoms.

Go to the Government of Canada for the latest travel information, travel alerts and advice for travellers without symptoms returning to Canada.

International 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 more information, visit BC’s Travel Affected by COVID-19 page.

You can also check the Government of Canada and Canada Border Services Agency for the latest.

On May 14, RSTBC re-opened many recreation sites, beaches, picnic areas, outhouses and boat launches for day-use.

On June 1, RSTBC re-opened 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 began to re-open the majority of provincial parks and protected areas and marine parks.

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

For more information, please visit the BC Parks website. 

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.

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, 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.

The term “meeting” has been removed from the definition of events and the PHO does not apply to conferences held in hotels or elsewhere.

Events may be hosted between 5:30 am and 11:00 pm on the same day. No more than four events may be hosted in one day on the same premises or in an area of the premises. There must be at least one hour between events during which there are no patrons present to permit cleaning and sanitizing

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, 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.