Yes, you can legally drive through the Okanagan despite travel ban
Can you drive through BC’s Interior on your way to somewhere else during the wildfire-related restriction on non-essential travel?
It turns out you can — although officials ask you not to.
BC’s Emergency Order focuses on accommodation in affected regions, not the use of roadways. The order forbids non-essential stays at hotels, motels, inns, RV parks, and campgrounds in several Okanagan communities to free up space for evacuees and first responders.
The order doesn’t forbid travelling through regions like COVID-19-era travel restrictions did.
“This Order does not impact travel through to other regions, but the public is asked to avoid non-essential travel to the central Interior and southeast of BC,” the BC Government’s website reads.
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It adds that roadways should be kept clear for emergency response operations. Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Bowinn Ma cautioned travellers to be ready for new wildfires and dynamic conditions.
“We continue to ask everyone not to travel to the Okanagan or the Shuswap for tourism or other non-essential purposes,” she said. “Parts of the Fraser Canyon are also struggling.
But if you are trying to travel between the BC Coast and Alberta, for example, the order doesn’t prohibit that.