BC not banning inter-provincial travel

BC Premier John Horgan has released a statement following a legal review of restricting inter-provincial travel.

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our first and overriding priority has been keeping British Columbians safe. My thanks go to everyone in B.C. who has been working hard to keep the spread under control,” said Horgan.

The ban has been discussed multiple times throughout the pandemic and recently Horgan said he wanted to settle the issue.

“The review of our legal options made it clear we can’t prevent people from travelling to British Columbia. We can impose restrictions on people travelling for non-essential purposes if they are causing harm to the health and safety of British Columbians. Much of current interprovincial travel is work-related and therefore cannot be restricted. Public health officials tell us what is most important is for everyone to obey health orders, wherever they are, rather than imposing mobility rules. Therefore, we will not be imposing travel restrictions at this time,” said Horgan.

“If we see transmission increase due to interprovincial travel, we will impose stronger restrictions on non-essential travellers. We will continue to work with the tourism and hospitality sectors to make sure all possible safety precautions are in place,” added Horgan.

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