B.C. residents advised not to cross border into Washington due to coronavirus concerns
Provincial health officials are recommending British Columbia residents not cross the border into Whatcom County due to the coronavirus outbreak in Washington state. Residents who choose to do so should expect to be isolated when they return.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry in a press conference Thursday, March 12, in Victoria, B.C., advised all British Colombia residents against all non-essential travel outside of Canada. Included in that travel warning, she said, are trips to the United States.
Provincial Health Minister Adrian Dix went on to say at the press conference that public employees traveling outside of Canada will be required by their employers to self-isolate, according to a story by the Abbotsford (B.C.) News.
“Buy a liter of milk in White Rock instead of a quart of milk in Bellingham,” Dix said, according to the Abbotsford News.
In its latest update Thursday afternoon, March 12, the Canadian government told its citizens to “exercise normal security precautions” when traveling to the United States, according to the government’s Travel Advice and Advisories web page.
British Columbia can not actually stop people at the border, Dix said, “but it’s our expectation that should people go to the United States for something so important that they feel they need to go, that it be important enough that they would choose to self-isolate for 14 days.”
British Columbia reported seven new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the Abbotsford News reported, bringing the province’s total to 53.
Whatcom county impact
Fewer British Columbia residents crossing the border could have a large impact on a Whatcom County economy already struggling to learn what a post-outbreak landscape is going to look like.
In 2019, southbound traffic through the five Whatcom County border crossings totaled 12.8 million, which was a 4.7% decrease compared to 2018, according to data compiled by the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University.
A report on a 2018 survey done also by the institute collected data at the border from travelers about where they were going and the purpose of their trip. It found that 23% of respondents said they were going shopping, while another 24% said they were on vacation or visiting family.
In October, the institute reported that a weekend count of license plates at retail parking lots in Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties found 13.8% of the more than 10,000 license plates counted were Canadian.
Canada examining options
British Columbia is not the only province dealing with the issue of allowing people to cross the U.S.-Canadian border.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the Canadian federal government is planning to warn its citizens against international travel and is even considering tightening the border to some international travelers, according to a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation story.
CBC reported that Trudeau was asked during a radio interview with Radio-Canada’s Montreal morning show if the government would close the border and responded by saying, “We are in the midst of looking at this.”
Trudeau went on to say that Canada is co-coordinating with the United States on border actions and that “we won’t close the door on any idea,” CBC reported.
Trudeau is self-isolating along with his wife, Sophie, after she tested positive for coronavirus, according to at National Post story. The prime minister has not shown symptoms.
Border policies
As previously reported in The Bellingham Herald, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported travelers have been denied entry into the United States from Canada at points of entry into Whatcom County due to concerns of the spread of COVID-19.
The number of travelers who have been stopped attempting to enter the U.S. into Whatcom County was not included in a statement emailed to The Bellingham Herald from CBP spokesperson Jason Givens, who added that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is responsible for all enhanced health screening of travelers at points of entry into the U.S.
Canada, meanwhile does not have a travel ban in place relating to the COVID-19 outbreak, Canada Border Services Agency spokesperson Rebecca Purdy told The Herald in an email last week.
The Herald has reached out to both agencies to see if those policies have been changed.
This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 11:54 AM.
