As new Federal rules on travel kick in; BC Ferries to make health check ups before passenger boarding

Travellers on BC Ferries vessels will soon have to fill out a health
questionnaire prior to boarding to attest to their fitness for transit

A string of new measures announced on Sunday by the Federal Government will mean that BC Ferries will now be making sure you are fit for travel before allowing boarding on their coastal BC routes and long range runs in Northern BC.

In a Interim Order issued by the Minister of Transport which went into effect at midnight on Sunday, Ferry operators across Canada are instructed to:

Immediately reduce by 50% the maximum number of passengers that are carried on board, or implement alternative practices to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.

The list of Federal measures totals ten and many had already been implemented by BC Ferries prior to the announcement of April 4th.

Among some of the new regulations to be put in place:

Enforcing mandatory physical distancing for all passengers on board (e.g., by eliminating entertainment events and anything else that would impact a 2 metre between passenger distancing rule)

Putting in place immediate reporting and mandatory isolation of anyone showing signs or symptoms of COVID-19 (cough, shortness of breath, or fever equal to or greater than 38°C, or signs of fever, e.g., shivering, flushed skin, excessive sweating). 

In the case of overnight vessels, at least 20% of their capacity must be carried as empty berths to allow for isolation

Eliminating the practice of “hot bunking”, where more than one crew member is assigned to a single bunk

Working with terminal operators to provide additional space for walk-on passengers waiting to embark/disembark

Prior to boarding, passengers may be request to undergo a health check, that process will involve answering a few simple quesitons which must be answered truthfully.

As well, upon arrival at a destination, further measures may be taken by municipal or provincial government to prevent the spread of COVID-19

The process towards a denial of boarding is outlined below:

In the event that the vessel operator observes that the passenger has COVID-19 symptoms or that their response to any of the questions on the health check indicates a need to deny boarding, the vessel operator should refuse to board the person for travel for a period of 14 days or until a medical certificate is presented that confirms that the symptoms that the person is exhibiting are not related to the COVID-19 virus. In the event refusal is not possible, the operator should take steps to ensure the passenger should be self-isolated (e.g., the passenger will commit to stay in their vehicle for the entire voyage). 

 If the passenger must travel for the purpose of receiving needed medical services, they should take precautions to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19 such as staying in their car as much as possible, wearing a mask and maintaining a minimum of two metres from any other passenger.

The full list of  measures can be reviewed here.

Last Friday, BC Ferries reduced the number of sailings by 50 percent on their highly travelled southern runs, eliminating some of their service on routes completely.  So far, no schedule changes have been announced for the routes in and out of the Prince Rupert terminal, which remain on their winter schedule.

For more notes on Marine transportation on the North Coast and Haida Gwaii see our archive page here.