Village of Pemberton Discourages Visits to Pemberton Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
Pemberton, BC - As a result of the significant increase of visitors in Pemberton this weekend, the Mayor is now requesting visitors to postpone their visits to the area, until further notice.
“Many of our community members have expressed urgent concern over the influx of recreationalists coming to Pemberton this weekend. Many of those people coming into town, visiting our stores and walking around our town are not practicing social distancing,” says Mayor Mike Richman. “This activity puts our community at great risk, and could pose challenges in maintaining a healthy supply chain locally.”
Yesterday, Joffre Lake Provincial Park saw heavy visitation and the mountain bike trailheads in the Pemberton area were at capacity with vehicles and cyclists.
“I’m so disappointed that some are not getting the message. We each have an important role to play in the trajectory of this dangerous virus. We need to keep each other accountable and safe. It’s our moral obligation,” says Richman. “Parents, you also play a very important role. Talk to your kids about social distancing, keep a close eye on them. And if you are unable to watch them when they leave the house, then keep them home.”
Pemberton is not the only community struggling with people coming from outside the area to recreate. To address this regional issue, the Mayor will be reaching out to elected officials within the Sea-to-Sky Corridor. The Village will also be contacting BC Parks and the Province to see what tools are available to stop visitors from visiting the area.
To prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus locally, the Village will be closing the Pemberton Skateboard Park and all Village playgrounds, effective tomorrow, March 23rd. The Village will also be contacting stratas compelling them to close their playgrounds. Other measures include closing the non-essential public washroom facilities while increasing the cleaning in the open facilities. The Village has already activated an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to enable the Village to access funding and support for response.
The Village will continue to share regular updates via it’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/VillageOfPemberton) and website (www.pemberton.ca).
For information updates regarding the COVID-19, please visit www.vch.ca and www.bccdc.ca .
For media inquiries:
Jill Brooksbank
Village of Pemberton Communications
P. 604.938.4303 | E. jbrooksbank@pemberton.ca