Authorities in Tofino have asked visitors to postpone any imminent trips to their town in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The District of Tofino, Tourism Tofino and the Tofino-Long Beach Chamber of Commerce have all asked visitors to stay away for several weeks. Visitors already in town have been asked to make plans to return home.
Shane Richards, chairman of Tourism Tofino, said the move, extraordinary for a tourist town like Tofino, is necessary to ensure the limited medical resources in the community are not overwhelmed.
鈥淭his decision is extremely difficult,鈥� said Richards in a telephone interview. 鈥淚t鈥檚 tough for the local economy, for sure. But there is concern about the resources that are available at our hospital.
鈥淲e now have residents and we have guests coming to town and we may not be able to deal with those two demographics at once.鈥�
No COVID-19 cases have yet been reported in Tofino, which has a small general hospital with 10 beds listed on the Island Health website as acute medical beds. The town counts about 1,900 permanent residents, but sees about 750,000 visitors in a year.
Municipal buildings in Tofino have now been closed until further notice, including the Community Children鈥檚 Centre, community hall, all public washrooms, the municipal hall and and public works yard. Showers will remain operational for those rinsing surf equipment at the beach.
Richards said Tofino has no plans to keep people out by erecting signs or barricades across Highway 4, and essential services and supplies for locals will still be available. Hotels and other hospitality businesses are contacting expected guests and asking them to postpone until the COVID-19 pandemic situation has stabilized.
鈥淭his is considered temporary and we鈥檒l be monitoring the situation closely,鈥� Richards said.
鈥淎 lot of our visitors have been coming for 20, 30 years, and we certainly look forward to welcoming them back.鈥�
In Ucluelet, 40 kilometres away, the town of 1,700 has closed its community centres, athletic halls and library, but has not asked expected guests to postpone their visits. Ucluelet has a significant tourism sector based on sport fishing and wilderness recreation.
