If you plan on getting around by land or sea, be sure to bring a mask.
BC Transit and BC Ferries have brought back mandatory mask policies.
For buses, that means you have to wear them onboard or at bus stops.
Elsewhere, masks are now mandatory inside BC Ferries vessels and terminals, regardless of your vaccination status.
Spokesperson Deborah Marshall says there are only a few minor exceptions: “So if you are outside, if you are on a minor route vessel that’s an open car deck, wearing a mask will not be required, but if you are in any indoor spaces on our ships or terminal buildings, masks will be required.”
When the province moved to Step 3 earlier this summer, masks were recommended but not mandatory on BC Ferries ships and terminals, but a surge in cases has changed that rule.
As far as enforcement, Marshall says they are trying to get the word out to passengers that the policy is now in place.
“We would ask people to wear their masks,” she said. “I think these days just about everybody has a couple of them in their pocket. If there are any irate customers, if it really escalates, we will have to phone the police.”
However, Marshall says you will not have to show proof of vaccination to travel with BC Ferries.
“Not to our knowledge,” she explained. “It applies to some non-essential businesses, and BC Ferries being a public transportation provider, we are considered an essential service.”
