The snowbirds are beginning to fly away.
On the advice of the provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Mike Farnsworth, issued a new order prohibiting non-essential travel between the three regional health zones in B.C., as an attempt to further curb the transmission of COVID-19. This order came into effect on April 23 and will stay in effect until May 25.
Susan Lafauci of ParksvilleB次元官网网址檚 Paradise Fun Park said before April 23, their RV park was completely booked up for May long weekend. Since the new order came into effect, theyB次元官网网址檝e had to call customers back and cancel reservations.
B次元官网网址淪o that took care of a lot of people. And we have bookings for pretty much the whole summer, but if this carries on things are going to get worse,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚f theyB次元官网网址檙e on the Island, weB次元官网网址檝e said they can still come because thatB次元官网网址檚 what we understood.B次元官网网址�
According to Lafauci, Paradise Fun Park was open over the winter, something they hadnB次元官网网址檛 done before, for snowbirds already on Vancouver Island who said they couldnB次元官网网址檛 go home. Of their 30 open sites, they have had approximately 14 B次元官网网址榦ff-IslandB次元官网网址� visitors stay.
B次元官网网址淚n a normal year with no COVID, we get people from all over,B次元官网网址� she said.
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Shawn Bennett, the general manager of ParksvilleB次元官网网址檚 Surfside RV Resort, said they havenB次元官网网址檛 accepted reservations from visitors north of Qualicum or south of Nanaimo for weeks.
Through most of the winter, however, he said they were full of snowbirds. Since the beginning of April, however, many of them left when the business switched over from off-season rates to B次元官网网址榮houlderB次元官网网址� season rates. Many of which, Bennett said, were already there for the six-month maximum stay.
B次元官网网址淲e follow the city bylaw of maximum 180 days. But that said, some of them did extend and we let them for two weeks. Most of them were exiting April 1 but we had, say a dozen people, leave just prior to April 15. And now weB次元官网网址檝e had three people that were concerned about not being able to get off the Island when they needed toB次元官网网址� they figured it would be too risky for May long weekend.B次元官网网址�
They have had people from within B.C. stay through the winter, as part of the snowbird population.
B次元官网网址淎nd thatB次元官网网址檚 people from the Lower Mainland, from the interior, and all these people that are typically going somewhere south of the border from October through April,B次元官网网址� he said.
The president and CEO of Tourism Vancouver Island, Anthony Everett, confirmed there are normally plenty of snowbirds in Parksville Qualicum Beach, and perhaps more so in 2020/21 due to travel restrictions.
B次元官网网址淗aving said that though, anybody already here is still subject to those orders. The advisory used strong language around staying local, staying where you are. And then if you do need to travel, that itB次元官网网址檚 within your health area - in our case, thatB次元官网网址檚 the Island.B次元官网网址�
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