If you’re thinking about cruising in central British Columbia, or heading up the Inside Passage to Alaska, any time soon, you may want to change your plans. The indigenous people, who’ve lived there for 14,000 years, want you to stay away. They are worried about the spread of the coronavirus from outsiders, and they do not have the health resources to deal with it.
Various indigenous communities in B.C. have imposed curfews and set up checkpoints to prevent outsiders from bringing in the virus. The Haida Nation issued a statement asking cruising people not to visit its islands. “This is not the time,” it said.
The Heiltsuk Nation turned away two sailboats heading for Alaska last weekend, and passed a bylaw resulting in the sign pictured above: “Yachters stay home, you are putting us in danger.”
The Heiltsuk people live on Campbell Island, about 100 nm above Vancouver Island, and it’s one of the most beautiful stretches of the Inside Passage to Alaska. Bella Bella, with about 1,400 people, is the center there, and it has a large marina, resort and grocery store; I’ve stopped there several times and always look forward to it.
But not now. The Heiltsuk just adopted a bylaw prohibiting all non-residents and non-Heiltsuk from entering the territory. “Our community of Bella Bella is highly vulnerable to a COVID-19 outbreak,” said Chief Councillor Marilyn Slett. “This is not the time to visit Bella Bella.”
The local hospital has only ten beds, for a community of 1,400 people. Pacific Coastal Airlines just suspended all flights to Bella Bella for the duration of the pandemic. Urgent air ambulance service to Vancouver takes an hour and a half, and is dependent on weather and availability.
The Heiltsuk are self-governing, and they say the bylaw with the travel restrictions will be enforced. “We have our guardians out there monitoring,” said Slett. “And certainly our community is taking this very seriously.” Read more:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/indigenous-curfews-checkpoints-1.5525078
