Vancouver park, beach parking lots to remain close due to public’s non-compliance with social distancing

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As a result of the public’s non-compliance with safety measures that should be applied when going outside, plans to reopen parking lots at beaches and parks in Vancouver this week will be put on hold.

The Vancouver Park Board decided not to push through with the plan after its staff members saw a “larger than normal group of people” flocking at parks and beaches on the weekend, without observing the physical distancing advice by the government to slow down the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

“While we echo [Provincial Health Officer] Dr. Bonnie Henry’s advice to get outside, we need to ensure the public is able to do so safely and we want to remind people to access their neighborhood spaces and refrain from driving to destination locations,” Shauna Wilton, the park board’s deputy general manager, said.

To date, over 11,000 warnings have been issued by park rangers to individuals who were violating the two-meter apart rule. Of this number, over 1,880 were handed out this weekend alone.

However, what Dr. Henry has experienced was contrary to this.

During a press conference on Monday, she admitted that she saw “lots of people” outside this weekend, but stressed that many of them were “in small groups” and were “sitting apart from each other.”

“They were socializing, they were out in the sun. You know, I think the vast majority of people are doing the right thing and taking this to heart,” she said.

Although there are authorities who give warnings or advice to those who refuse to observe proper social distancing, Henry said the province will not take a “punitive approach” against the violators.

She believes that issuing warnings has “worked for us and it will continue to work for us.”

“We’ve seen police officers, bylaw officers out and taking that positive approach and thanking people who are doing the right thing.

It was on March 23 when beach and park lots in Vancouver were ordered closed, as many Canadians were not complying with social distancing protocol. Among those temporarily shut down were the high-priority parking lots like Kitsilano Beach, Queen Elizabeth Park, English Bay, and Jericho Beach, among others.