Editor:
While intelligent people in British Columbia are doing their very best to reduce the spread of COVID, it seems those who govern this glorious province are doing everything in their power to promote the spread of this insidious disease. The sensible edict from our government mandarins last week, forbidding non-essential travel beyond one’s health region, was suddenly changed with the illogical decision to reduce the province’s five health regions to three; in the process joining Fraser Health and Coastal Health into one region!
Any reasonable person is aware of the Whistler outbreak in the Howe Sound region. The mayor of Pemberton has practically begged tourists from the Lower Mainland to stay away for the time being, until COVID figures start to fall.
Then, there is the Sunshine Coast whose caring residents have pulled together so well this past year, abiding by Bonnie Henry’s safety advice regarding distance, masks and gatherings, managing to keep COVID figures amongst the lowest in the province. Bearing in mind a ferry is required to access the Sunshine Coast, it doesn’t take a genius to manage essential travel to this area. Instead, non-essential travel is being encouraged by this latest government edict.
Around 1.30 p.m. on Thursday, April 22, I drove to Gibsons for a prescription. In five years I have never seen such heavy traffic heading west on Highway 101 or noticed so many out-of-province vehicles. Lower Mainland people had evidently heard the news that essential travel only was due to be “enforced” the following day, and were determined to escape to a “safer” area. Well, we are no longer safe. Our one small hospital is struggling.
Sheila Blake, Port Stalashen, Wilson Creek
