LAC LA BICHE - New regulations to provincial parks were put into place on March 27 to prevent the spread of COVID-19. All vehicle access to Alberta’s provincial parks is now prohibited. People can still walk around the parks, but access to facilities like washrooms, warmup enclosures and barbecue pits are also restricted.
For residents of Lac La Biche and surrounding areas, new signage has been put at entrances to Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park letting them know that vehicles are no longer allowed to go through the park.
Provincial restrictions on group gatherings — no more than 15 people in one area — are also in effect at provincial parks.
“Right now we are focusing on the safety of our visitors, staff, and volunteers. Our goal is to minimize the spread of COVID-19,” says Jaclyn Denman, Alberta Parks Development Officer. “We want to discourage people, especially large groups from coming to the park and possibly contributing to the spread of the virus.”
Even with the new signs, there were several vehilces parked at the entrance to Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park last week, as members of the community explore nature to escape the isolation. If people choose to go on walks through the park, it is recommended to keep a safe distance between each other and to be careful while venturing out on trails that may have been exposed to recent snowfall or icy conditions. Public health and safety remains the primary goal, said Denman.
“The more people that take a walk throughout the park, the higher the risk for injury,” says Denman. “We really want to avoid this, because we don’t want to demand more from our emergency response and medical resources during a pandemic.”
The Comfort Camping Cabins, and the Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Community Facility are also closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. All park programming up to the middle of May, including concerts and camping programs have been suspended indefinitely at provincial parks across the region and province.
