While there has been plenty of chatter lately about the possibility of travel bans, Mayor Don McCormick says there really is no need for them.
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READ: B.C. considers provincial COVID-19 bubble as visitors come in
“Travel was down considerably over Christmas in Kimberley,” he said. “Those that did come were primarily second home owners. These are people who are invested in the community and respect the protocols in place.”
The fact is, McCormick says, that there have been zero cases in Kimberley over Christmas and now into mid-January.
READ: Cranbrook sees five COVID-19 cases in first week of January; Kimberley none
“It’s about how we behave, not where someone is from. Everyone in Kimberley is behaving the way they should. And kudos for that behaviour, that makes us one of the safest places to be on the planet.”
That being said, McCormick says he does understand that people are fearful.
“There’s a lot of emotional rhetoric in the media right now. As long as we continue to behave the way we need to, we’ll be okay.”
McCormick says he doesn’t envy the way the Premier or Prime Minister are being pounded with questions on travel, even if he doesn’t entirely agree with their answers.
But we must keep the focus on behaviour. Talk of travel bans is discouraging for communities such as Kimberley where cases have been low, he said.
“If I could give one piece of advice, I’d say, please don’t treat the entire province as one size fits all,” he said. “Regions are completely different from each other. The vaccine is getting out, there’s lots of good behaviour. The data is not showing it yet, but I’m very optimistic.”
He also said that it was important to remember that as an entity, the City of Kimberley’s strategy is to follow directives from the Provincial Health Officer religiously.
“We will continue to do so. It’s been sticking to those that has helped us. If at such a time, the PHO provides a directive that says don’t travel, we will follow it, whether we agree or not. But at this time there has been no directive.”
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