I reached out over the holidays with my concerns over the number of people visiting my hometown of Whistler.
My concerns included that my friends working in hotels were telling me that the hotels had guests from all over Canada, including from areas hard hit by COVID-19 such as Ontario, Quebec and Alberta. My doctor friend working in the health clinic at this time informed me that a vast majority of people being tested for COVID-19 in Whistler were from out of town, many from Ontario and Quebec. Furthering the issue is that Whistler is in a housing crisis which has led to a high-density housing situation, especially for people in their 20s and early 30s (I am not in this demographic).
Whistler also only has a clinic, not an actual hospital. Over the holidays, I reached out and emailed the Premier [John Horgan], [Health Minister] Adrian Dix and the BC NDP but got no response. Anyone with a basic understanding of COVID-19 could see that Whistler was vulnerable to becoming a hot spot, but despite large crowds over the holidays, the province only continued to recommend that people not travel to Whistler.
We are now seeing the results of the province’s inaction. Whistler is the hot spot for COVID-19 in the province. The province’s reaction is to blame the 20- to 30-year-olds in Whistler. The reality, as the province is aware, is that this demographic of individuals in Whistler tend to live in overcrowded housing and have done so for years. The solution should have been a focus on preventing COVID-19 entering the community in large numbers.
The coronavirus is now here, and the province seems to care even less about preventing the spread within the resort municipality, than it did during the holidays. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry’s response was to announce that day trips to Whistler are better than overnight trips. Many people will choose to hear this as an approval for individuals to make day-trips to Whistler, during the resort’s outbreak.
Judging by the huge ski lines today (Jan. 31), that is exactly what is happening.
Kali Parr // Whistler
