FAQs: Tourism businesses and accommodation

The latest order regarding leisure travel applies to the entire province. All British Columbians are required to avoid non-essential travel, outside of their Regional Zone, until after the May long-weekend (midnight May 25). This includes a temporary pause on inter-provincial as well.

Restaurants, pubs, bars and food courts will remain closed for indoor dining. Outdoor patio seating, for immediate households or core bubbles only, and take-out or delivery is allowed.

Accommodations and attractions can continue to receive guests from within their Regional Zone Accommodations can receive guests from other regions if they are travelling for essential reasons.

Visit www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/info/restrictions for more information on the current orders relating to the tourism and hospitality sector, including the PHO order on restaurant and bars.

Travel restrictions for non-essential travel in BC are in place until May 25, 2021 to stop the spread of COVID-19 and variants of concern. The new order issued on April 23, 2021 prohibits non-essential travel between three regional zones in the province, using health authority boundaries. The regional zones are:

1. Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley (Fraser Health and Coastal Health regions);
2. Vancouver Island (Island Health region); and
3. Northern/Interior (Interior Health and Northern Health regions).

Fines can be given to people who leave their region for non-essential travel. Stay local and stay in your community. Do not travel for non-essential reasons.

Visit www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/travel/current for more information on the current province-wide travel restrictions.

• While there are to be no indoor social gatherings, people are not restricted from going to local businesses, within their own regional zone and local community, with their immediate household members or smaller bubble of 1–2 people.
• Businesses can welcome local customers (members of the same household or smaller bubbles of 1–2 people only), from their own regional zone and local community, as long as they have a current COVID-19 safety plan is in place.
• All businesses are encouraged to constantly review their COVID-19 safety plans. To learn more about WorkSafe BC’s COVID-19 safety plans, check here:
  www.worksafebc.com/en/covid-19/worksafebcs-covid-19-safety-plans
• For businesses with a listing on HelloBC.com, please update your information to add your safety plan to your listing. You can log on to the portal, here: destinationbc.force.com/s/

• Tourism businesses can continue to welcome local customers from within their regional zone and their own community (household members and bubbles of 1–2), from their own community, as long as their approved COVID-19 safety plan is in place and posted publicly.
• Tourism partners can use this messaging guidance to help businesses, available here: destinationbc.ca/covid-19/destination-bc-response/messaging-toolkit/

• Travel to BC, by residents of another province or territory, is restricted to essential travel only until after the May long-weekend (midnight May 25).
• People should only travel in and out of BC if absolutely necessary. Essential travel includes regular travel for work, or travel for things like medical appointments.
• Essential travel does not include visiting a private vacation property owned in BC. Travel for social or recreational reasons, to see family or friends for non-essential reasons or to visit a vacation property, is not allowed.
• People residing outside BC must postpone their leisure/non-essential trips, until after the May long-weekend (midnight May 25). If they must visit, for essential reasons, they must abide with all of BC’s current public health orders and recommendations.
• Access points into BC will be monitored. Those entering for non-essential reasons will be turned away.

Tourism partners can refer to the latest messaging guidance here: destinationbc.ca/covid-19/destination-bc-response/messaging-toolkit/

• Consider contacting people from outside your regional zone who have a booking before May 25 and remind them that travel restrictions are in place.
• Include the following key message on your website, guest email distributions, and ensure this message is displayed at check-in:
  “We want to welcome you as soon as we can. Due to travel restrictions in B.C. effective April 23, 2021, people are not allowed to travel outside of their regional zone until May 25, 2021. To learn more about British Columbia’s travel restrictions, essential travel inclusions, and identify which health area you currently reside in visit www.example.com
• Add this question to your booking process and to your check-in COVID-19 questionnaire: “Travel outside of one’s regional zone is restricted to a list of essential reasons on the B.C. government website. Are you aware of these restrictions?”
• Consider hosting training to ensure appropriate employees like booking, sales, reservation, and front-desk staff are aware of the public health orders and the limitations on travel until May 25.
• Confirm that any new bookings from now until May 25 meet current guidelines and orders.

For more information, please refer to the latest messaging guidance: destinationbc.ca/covid-19/destination-bc-response/messaging-toolkit/

• Indoor in-person events and community-based gatherings as defined in the PHO order—Gatherings and Events are suspended, though certain exceptions apply.
• Small outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people are now permitted. Up to 10 people may gather at a park or a beach, or in the backyard of a residence.

• As outlined in the mask mandate order, masks are required for everyone in many public indoor settings. A face shield is not a substitute for a mask as it has an opening below the mouth.
• Additional info can be found here: www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergencypreparedness-response-recovery/covid-19-provincialsupport/restrictions

For BC travel restrictions and precautions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit www.gov.bc.ca/regionalrestrictions.

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

The Government of Canada continues to advise all Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel outside Canada. This official global travel advisory includes non-essential travel across the land border into the US, and aboard ships or other vessels.

There are also travel restrictions that limit who can travel to Canada. Until further notice, most people cannot travel to Canada, even if they are immunized, have a valid visitor visa or electronic travel authorization (eTA).

Those who must travel, can learn more about the measures and requirements in place on the provincial government’s Self-quarantine on return to BC page.

Travellers can also find updated travel information on the Government of Canada’s COVID-19: Travel, quarantine and borders page.

Current information on travel can also can be found here on the BC CDC’s Travel page.

Travel within BC is currently restricted to essential needs only, from April 23 at 09:30 until May 25 at midnight. Review Province-wide restrictions.

Road signs are up at the Alberta/BC border reminding travellers that all travel at this time should be essential. People from any province or territory are subject to the same travel restrictions as everyone in BC.

If you travel to BC for essential reasons from another province or territory, you do not need to self-quarantine when entering BC.

Travel within BC is currently restricted to essential needs only, from April 23 at 09:30 until May 25 at midnight. Review Province-wide restrictions.

For more information provincial travel restrictions, 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.

There are also travel restrictions that limit who can travel to Canada.

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.

Learn about Recreation Sites and Trails BC’s ongoing response to COVID-19.

The health and safety of park visitors and staff remains BC Parks’ number one priority throughout this difficult time. In keeping with this commitment to providing safe places and means for BC residents’ to explore nature, BC Parks have provided an update on the implications to BC Parks campers of the new order issued on April 23, 2021 by BC’s Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. The aim of this order is to mitigate the further spread of COVID-19 by reducing the movement of people into and within the province. In particular, the order prohibits people from leaving their Health Authority Regions (some are combined for the purposes of this order) for non-essential reasons – including for holiday.

Read more on the BC Parks COVID-19 Response page. 

All marine passenger vessels, including essential passenger vessels such as ferries and water taxis, must continue following provincial, territorial, local and regional health authority guidance. These could include: reducing the number of passengers, ensuring physical distancing, the wearing of masks, as well as enhanced cleaning and hygiene measures.

A one-year ban for pleasure craft and cruise vessels operating in Canadian waters has been implemented until February 22, 2022.

A summary of the PHO order – Gatherings and Events (PDF)  document can be found here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/info/restrictions#pho-order

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.

Masks are now mandatory in all retail environments and indoor public spaces, including common areas of workplaces, except when eating or drinking.

Masks are now required for everyone in all public indoor settings and workplaces. People who cannot put on or remove a mask on their own are exempt. Masks for children under the age of 2 is not recommended.

• Employers are expected to inform customers and employees of the mandatory mask policy
• A customer can be refused entry or service if they do not wear a mask

Masks are required in all indoor public settings and all retail stores. This includes:

Masks are required in all workplaces for shared work areas and areas where physical distancing cannot be maintained. This includes:

It is important to know what to do in suspected cases of COVID-19 to ensure we all do our part to keep BC safe.

For information about COVID-19, how to protect yourself, your staff and your community, and what to do if you suspect you have the virus, visit bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19.

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.

More information on the virus, including protective mesaures to take, can also be found by visiting the HealthLinkBC website and the BC Centre for Disease Control website.

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.