With the provincial government announcing it will begin a gradual reopening, recreational and search and rescue groups in 麻豆社国产are trying to figure out what reopening will mean for outdoor activity.
No timeline has been provided as of press deadline, but in one of her recent briefings, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said that B.C. was exploring ways of safely reopening its parks.
聽A statement from BC Parks issued to The Chief says that a plan for this is in the works and some details are due to be released Wednesday afternoon.
聽鈥淥pening parks safely means some closures may have to remain in place for specific parks or park areas, services and facilities. We also need to ensure small communities are not overwhelmed by people who are ignoring advice not to travel unnecessarily and headed to destination parks,鈥� reads the statement.
聽鈥淏ritish Columbians are still advised to stay close to home and avoid non-essential travel. This is not the time for road trips or bucket-list adventures.
Out of concern for the health and safety of first responders and search and rescue personnel, we encourage the public to refrain from partaking in risky activities when parks reopen.鈥�
聽The province has also been taking submissions from various groups about how it can resume operations while ensuring safety for all.
聽One of those groups is the 麻豆社国产Off-Road Cycling Association, or SORCA.
聽Uzi Valiante, the organization鈥檚 director of government relations, says the group is currently formulating a position that it will be taking to the province.
聽Valiante said that there are several trails outside of BC Parks land that have become inaccessible because parks have shut down.
聽SORCA is asking the province to open up a few select trails in BC Parks territory so that people can use those聽 to gain access to the outside routes, he said.
聽鈥淵ou really can鈥檛 get to any of [those] trails without going through Alice Lake Provincial Park, and all we鈥檙e saying is open that up so we can commute,鈥� said Valiante. 鈥淏ut don鈥檛 open up the park for loitering or camping or parking or any of that sort of stuff. It鈥檚 a very limited request.鈥�
聽As a result, the group is asking for the province to open up Tracks From Hell, 50 Shades of Green and the climb on the Debeck trail, which reside in the park.
聽In the meantime, SORCA will be taking its cues from the government concerning any reopenings for recreationalists, Valiante said.
聽鈥淭he basic principle that we鈥檙e operating by is whatever the medical officer ... establishes as the sort of opening policy 鈥� we鈥檒l do our best to communicate that in a way that鈥檚 clear for all trail users,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been doing our best to encourage people to observe the park closures and adhere to that.鈥�
聽Priority 1 is to flatten the curve, he said, and SORCA will not do anything contrary to the advice it gets from the province.
聽Again, concerning trail use, the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC has been advising authorities to study what鈥檚 been working in some places and use those measures as guidelines.
聽Louise Pedersen, the executive director of the organization, said that one solution that could help social distancing is the creation of one-way loop trails.
聽This seems to reduce traffic and helps prevent people from crossing into each others鈥� paths, she said.
聽It may be best to open up the parks one step at a time, she said.
聽鈥淲e are still in that first phase, and I think it seems to have paid off鈥or all of us to be very conservative with what we do,鈥� Pedersen said.
聽She said one silver lining she鈥檚 hoping to see is the possibility of increased funding for parks. With much of society closed down, the outdoors have become a key outlet for people, and that may cause authorities to recognize their importance, she said.
聽As of now, they operate on what Pedersen calls a 鈥渟hoestring budget.鈥�
The group representing climbers in town, the 麻豆社国产Access Society, said that it will be waiting for further directions from the province.
聽Robin Richardson, a director with the society, said that the organization will not update its recommendations until authorities clearly make changes 鈥� and so far the province has not altered its position.
聽Richardson said they鈥檒l be looking at what the B.C. government and provinces are recommending for climbing and outdoor recreation in general with respect to easing restrictions.
The access society will not try to interpret Henry鈥檚 guidance on outdoor activities with respect to risk or medical response capability, he said. However, the province has not clarified what it means by risky activity and how that relates to common sports in 麻豆社国产like climbing and mountain biking.
聽鈥淚 don鈥檛 think the province is going to go out and explicitly say, 鈥楪ive 鈥榚r鈥� 鈥� like, go chuck your body off stuff 鈥� that鈥檚 definitely not going to come,鈥� said Richardson.
聽If the province fails to issue explicit recommendations regarding outdoor activities, the society is discussing things it should factor into its potential advisories, said Richardson. These conversations will include groups like 麻豆社国产Search and Rescue, as the society wants to avoid overwhelming medical services.
鈥淚 think what it comes down to is the recommendations [the province is] going to have in terms of social distancing,鈥漢e said.
Richardson said this will be an important factor in determining when and how the sport can resume, because climbing often requires belay partners or spotters.
聽In addition to climbing partners often being in close quarters, they will likely be touching the same gear.
When it comes to mitigating risk so as to avoid overwhelming medical services, Richardson also noted that different types of climbing will have their own levels of danger.
For instance, assuming the gear is set up correctly and the belayer is competent, the chances of taking a hard fall while top-roping are virtually non-existent.
So far, it seems that people have, for the most part, been avoiding taking too many risks.
BJ Chute, a manager with 麻豆社国产Search and Rescue, said that calls have dropped since COVID-19 measures were put in place.
聽Chute said crews normally handle six calls per month in March and April, and that鈥檚 dropped by roughly 50%.
聽The types of calls are also different, he said. For example, during the wildfire, search and rescue was on standby for the Upper 麻豆社国产Valley fire, but didn鈥檛 have to deploy.
Procedures have changed, he said.
聽People who are asking for help are screened more thoroughly, as dispatchers take note if they are displaying any COVID-19 symptoms.
Crews are now wearing personal protective equipment when going out on calls, he said.
聽鈥淚f they are going to be in close proximity or treating the subject, then they would be expected to wear that,鈥� said Chute.
This could include masks, gloves, goggles and face shields.
聽They also have procedures for limiting helicopter crew sizes to ensure social distancing, though they haven鈥檛 had to deploy a helicopter since COVID-19 guidelines were issued by the province, he said.
Chute said while preparation is always key, anyone planning to go out into a situation where they may have to call search and rescue should be more prepared than ever.
聽鈥淣ow is a very real time to hear that message and ensure they are taking the essentials with them on every trip.鈥�
聽That鈥檚 because there鈥檚 a bigger delay for rescuers to reach people, as COVID precautions 鈥� such as putting on protective gear 鈥� make preparation times lengthier.
聽鈥淧eople need to be prepared, and they need to be prepared for self-rescue,鈥� he said.
