Health and search-and-rescue officials ask B.C. residents to stay home over Easter long weekend

A swath of provincial and municipal parks have shut down, but that hasn't calmed concerns from leaders,health officials and search and rescue crews that outdoor enthusiasts will be out in force overthe long weekend to the detriment of public health.

On Wednesday, the province closed all provincial parks to stop the spread of COVID-19. Municipalities and regional districts have asked visitors to stay home over the long weekend. But warm weather means many will be tempted to get out of the city.

"We need to stay home this weekend. We need to be close to our families, to the people we share our homes with ... this is not the time to take unnecessary travel, it's not the time to go to some of our smaller or more remote communities," said provincial health officerDr. Bonnie Henry at her daily briefing.

The City of Vancouver has blocked off parking at Stanley Park to prevent gathering ahead of the weekend. Mayor Kennedy Stewart urged people who live in neighbouring municipalities not to travel to the city.

"You should stay in your home municipality," said Stewart. "Don't flood downtown to come walk on the seawall, or bike around Stanley Park. Stay in your home municipality, enjoy your parks there."

The domino effect

There havebeen similar calls from municipalities across B.C., but crowds of British Columbians continue to recreate despite closures and reduced access to parks, trails, and sites.

The Sea-to-Sky region, for example, has seen midsummer levels of traffic,increasing numbers of campers at beach areas, and a lack of physicaldistancing in popular areas, according to the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District.

WATCH: Premier John Horgan talks aboutavoiding congregating in parks and beaches this long weekend:

You don't need to go to a park this long weekend: Horgan

4 years ago

Duration 0:54

B.C. Premier John Horgan says British Columbians can enjoy their local communities and avoid travel during this long weekend.

SLRD officials told CBC News they had wanted to set up a road block into the area, but were advised by the province that they did not have the authority to do so.

Steve Jones, a B.C. Parks advocate, says closures have been necessary to encourage physical distancing, but there's an unintendedconsequence.

"With the entire park system being closed at once, people may say, where can I go next?" he said, referring to this as the'domino effect.' Jones says closures can funnel crowds into remaining areas or parks that are open, or even into more informal spaces, like clearings off logging roads.

"What sits at the bottom of the domino are areas that are not easy to manage, so it's areas that don't have an official park status ... that's one of the challenges with this," he said.

Search and rescue urge caution

The B.C. Search and Rescue Association (BCSARA) is also asking people to stay inside their home municipality.

April marks the start of the busy season for search and rescue crews across the province. Calls have been down by about 50 per cent amid the pandemic

"We see the weather this week, a four-day weekend, and people are getting kind of antsy, so it's making us a little nervous," saidDwight Yochim, a BCSARA senior manager.

There areabout 2,500 search and rescue volunteers in B.C. Those who are dispatched must use protective gear masks and gloves that are already in short supply. Rescuing someone from the backcountry during a global pandemic puts entire crews at risk.

"Unfortunately, it causes roughly 20 people on a team to get out of social isolation and get together," said Yochim, emphasizing that there's always the possibility the person being rescued might be infected.

"Now those [SAR volunteers] are going back to their families, and hopefully they don't bring anything back with them," said Yochim. "It's just one risk we really don't need right now."