Business has been steady at the Nakusp Hot Springs after its pools, chalets and campgrounds reopened to the public with limited capacity on June 29.
Hot springs cashier T’ai Ballard said the facility has been receiving more traffic during certain times of the day.
“The public times at the pools between noon and 7 p.m. daily have definitely been pretty busy,” said Ballard.
“There’s a lot of people that want to get in during those time periods. Some of the people showing up have also been in large groups.”
The pools have been less busy while only open for camping and chalet guests from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. daily, according to Ballard.
Ballard said people have been coming from all over Western Canada to visit the hot springs.
“While we’ve had some locals, it’s mainly been out-of-towners,” said Ballard.
“We’ve gotten a lot of people from all over British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.”
People have already been turned away at the hot springs over the last week due to it being at capacity.
Pool users have been required to sign in for one-hour time slots during their visit to cope with the demand, which includes changing, showering and being in the pool.
Staff have also increased cleaning measures at the hot springs to mitigate the threat of COVID-19, according to Ballard.
“We do an entire disinfect of the facility twice a day,” said Ballard.
“That includes door handles, mirrors, sinks, coolers, tables, chairs, machines and everything that people are touching.”
Both the pools and chalet rooms have been closed from 11:30 a.m. to noon and 7 to 7:30 p.m. daily to complete the cleaning procedures.
Ballard said he’s happy the hot springs is finally open at this time.
“It’s definitely nice to be open again, getting back into a routine and receiving an income again,” said Ballard.
“While some visitors are happy that we’re open, some are finding all the new rules a lot to remember. It’s just the way it is now.”
You can view all of the rules and regulations for the hot springs around COVID-19 on their website.
READ MORE: Renovations at Nakusp Hot Springs well underway
@connortrembleyconnor.trembley@castlegarnews.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
