The BC Forest Discovery Centre is gradually resuming operations and the main attraction is set to start running again today.
The train rides return, but at a reduced capacity and General Manager Chris Gale said those rides will look a little different.
“The train holds 113 to 115 people, but of course we can’t do that with proper physical distancing, so we’ll probably have 35 to 40 people on a train ride. Between each train ride we will be disinfecting the entire train, all the seats, dropping people off down below, disinfecting the seats again, and then coming back up and having another train,” said Gale.
The Halloween and Christmas trains are Cowichan Valley favourites, but due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the year-round train rides have stopped.
As we continue our provincial restart Gale said the local tourist destination has many safety measures in place for customers.
“We’ve got signage everywhere, we’ve made some parts of the museums one direction, we’ve got big signs up only allowing one family or person in the washrooms at one time. Some of the buildings, we only allow two or three people in at a time, but everything has nice big signs, a lot of spots that tell you (what is) six feet, where you’re supposed to be standing, so we’re ready for this,” said Gale.
The tourist destination opened on a gradual basis on June 12, when the site and schoolhouse were the only open buildings.
On June 18, all historical sites and a limited concession returned, and today, the train rides return.
The BC Forest Discovery Centre is open 10 am to 4 pm today through Monday.
