B.C. Premier John Horgan said Wednesday it would be far too complicated logistically to put in a 14-day travel quarantine in British Columbia to match what Manitoba is doing.
Horgan said Manitoba has fewer main highways into the province than British Columbia and does not have as many airports with flights coming in from outside the province.
“The challenge is how would we do it. I am not the person that would say we will do something without the logistical ability to do it in an appropriate timeline,” Horgan said.
“We don’t want to make a symbolic statement. We want to suppress the spread.”
There has been increasing public pressure for the provincial government to crack down on non-essential travel. The federal government is currently considering a ride range of options mainly focused on international travel.
Horgan is encouraging British Columbians to stay at home for the upcoming Family Day weekend and avoid all non-essential travel.
When asked about increased enforcement, Horgan told reporters British Columbia will come down on rule-breakers with a “tonne of bricks.”
“We are looking at, for example, ski hills,” he said. This is a place where the activity is not the problem.”
“It is when people leave the hill and are looking for the party where we are seeing transmission. That is where Dr. Henry and Adrian Dix are looking at the consequences.”
More to come.