Vancouverites taking advantage of socially-distanced chance to smell the flowers at VanDusen
Posted May 2, 2020 5:49 pm.
Last Updated May 2, 2020 5:58 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The gift shop is closed and ticketing has gone contactless at VanDusen Botanical Garden, and one visitor says he’s grateful for a physically-distanced chance to smell the flowers amid the pandemic.
Allan Pinto saw a lot of cars and a line of people outside the garden on Saturday — the second day the attraction has been open since March.
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Staff encouraged physical distancing in lineups, and barcoded tickets purchased in advance were being scanned through plexiglass shields.
“There was no actual contact with a person as you were walking into the building,” Pinto said.
The path through the building is roped off, creating two lanes of one-way traffic.
“There’s no exhibits, the gift shop is closed. They do have access to a lot of disinfectant which is great,” Pinto said.
Once in the garden, he said people were doing a good job staying apart.
First weekend since March with @VanDusenGdn OPEN.
One visitor tell us physical distance wasn't an issue.
"I saw maybe 15 to 20 people on my entire route, but all the encounters were 30 to 40 feet apart." – Allan Pinto pic.twitter.com/6JPV6CIoqz
— Tim James (@TimJamesPlus) May 3, 2020
Pinto said he was a little concerned about bringing his parents, who are older.
“Really there were no issues. My parents are a bit old so I was a little concerend for them more than anything, because obviously being of an older age, they’re a little bit more prone to getting the virus. They were totally fine, they had a great time. Really there’s no reason for any sort of panic.”
He said his family is grateful the garden is now open for visitors.
“The flowers smelt amazing, it was raining but it wasn’t that bad. We had umbrellas,” he said.
“I think my parents who have been stuck home for over 100 days were pretty happy to get out. My mom and dad are both gardeners, so they really enjoyed getting out there.”
