Roadside travel checks start today in B.C.

VANCOUVER — The B.C. RCMP will set up COVID-19 travel checkpoints on four highways, starting today.

B.C. RCMP spokeswoman Staff Sgt. Janelle Shoihet said the checkpoints would be on Highway 1, near Boston Bar, Highway 3 in the Manning Park area, Highway 5 north of the Great Bear Snow Shed, and Highway 99 in the Lillooet area.

Shoihet said there would be notification signs before each road check, with U-turn routes.

“People travelling for essential reasons through those areas can expect traffic delays,” she said. Commercial vehicles won’t be checked.

The travel ban was announced by Premier John Horgan two weeks ago, as the province’s third wave of COVID-19 was peaking. It outlaws non-essential travel between Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and North/Interior and comes with a $575 fine. The ban is in place until May 25.

No road checks are planned for the Island, but B.C. Ferries passengers are being asked whether their travel is essential.

At the checkpoint, police officers can ask for a driver’s licence and the purpose for the driver’s travel.

“If an officer determines that a person is travelling for nonessential reasons, they will be directed to leave the region,” Shoihet said.

The federal government is looking at emergency legislation to shut down interprovincial travel, as Alberta’s COVID-19 crisis worsens.

On Wednesday, Alberta reported 1,743 new cases — more than three times the number reported in B.C.