Don’t visit Squamish, yet, mayor asks tourists
Posted May 29, 2020 11:43 am.
Last Updated May 29, 2020 2:24 pm.
SQUAMISH (NEWS 1130) — Squamish’s mayor is asking people to hold off on visiting the community for now, even as some tourist attractions reopen this weekend.
Both the Sea to Sky Gondola and Britannia Mine Museum are opening again – to some capacity – this weekend.
Karen Elliott says her community just isn’t ready for visitors right now.
“We’ve been encouraging our locals to get out and enjoy their attractions,” she says.
While the mayor isn’t against attractions reopening, she says the focus isn’t on tourism until she hears more from the provincial health officer.
“This is a really important sector for us, and we do want to be able to welcome people back. But, we are waiting for the word from Dr. Bonnie Henry.”
After that happens, Elliot says Squamish will be asking people to visit responsibly.
However, Kirstin Clausen with the Britannia Mine Museum believes visits can be done safely.
“We’ll be listening closely to our communities and making adjustments as we need to,” she says.
“I think people are cautious, but people are also recognizing the community needs to get back up and running.”
The museum has ramped up cleaning and sanitization measures ahead of a partial reopening this weekend and its full reopening Monday.
The gondola reopens to the public this weekend with reduced capacity to promote physical distancing.
