Tofino, Ucluelet ask travellers from Lower Mainland to stay away during B.C.’s COVID-19 surge

Tofino and Ucluelet, two popular tourist destinations on Vancouver Island, are asking travellers to stay away amid a surge of COVID-19 cases in B.C.’s Lower Mainland.

A statement posted on the Tourism Ucluelet website said the small Island community continues to be low risk and they are asking residents of the Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health regions to stick to recommendations from health officials urging people to avoid non-essential travel until Nov. 23.

1:51 Tofino getting trashed by disrespectful COVID-19 tourists

The statement said anyone who booked a place to stay in Ucluelet should call their accommodation provider to reschedule.

A similar notice was posted on the Tourism Tofino website.

“Please understand that the current COVID-19 situation remains fluid, with government regulations and health guidelines changing rapidly,” the statement said.

Get weekly health news

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.

Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Back in April, the mayor of Tofino made a similar request, asking visitors to avoid the area, which has limited health-care resources.

— With files from Simon Little