BC Ferries is making face masks mandatory for passengers
BC Ferries is making face masks mandatory for its customers, beginning next week, the company announced on Thursday.
Starting on Monday, August 24, customers will be required to wear masks or face coverings at all terminals and while onboard the vessels. Previously, passengers were only required to carry a mask with them, and wear it in situations where proper physical distancing wasn’t possible.
On the same day, TransLink will also be rolling out its mandatory face mask or covering policy onboard its transit system.
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“While COVID-19 continues to have a profound impact on our business, I want to express my deep appreciation to our frontline staff who came to work every day in the depths of the pandemic to provide lifeline service to coastal communities,” said BC Ferries President and CEO, Mark Collins in a statement. “I also want to thank our customers for their patience as we all work towards a new normal.”
During the three months ended June 30, 2020, BC Ferries delivered 18,249.5 round trips, a decrease of 2,340 or 11.4% compared to the same period in the prior year. The company carried 2.2 million passengers and 1.3 million vehicles during the quarter, a decrease of 61.5% and 46.7%, respectively, compared to the same quarter in the prior year.
On August 11, 2020, the BC government announced BC Ferries is one of the entities included in the federal government’s previously announced transit funding of $540 million in response to the impact of COVID-19. This transit funding is to be matched equally by the Province for a total funding envelope of $1.08 billion.
BC Ferries said that as it continues to respond to COVID-19, it will “continue to provide resilient ferry service in the public interest,” and will “aid BC in its economic and social recovery through the vital role it plays in serving the needs of coastal communities.”