C-19 BULLETIN - July 2, 2020

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Federal Government Update
 
Federal Government Extends Mandatory Requirements Under the Quarantine Act for Anyone Entering Canada
The Government of Canada extended the Emergency Order requirements related to mandatory isolation and quarantine until August 31st. Anyone entering Canada—whether by air, land or sea—will continue to be required to isolate for 14 days if they have COVID-19, or have reasonable grounds to suspect that they have signs and symptoms of COVID-19, or quarantine for 14 days if they do not have signs and symptoms of COVID-19. The Order also clarifies when travellers are required to wear a non-medical mask or face covering. This includes a new requirement for individuals who are otherwise exempt from quarantine to wear a non-medical mask or face covering when in public settings if physical distancing cannot be maintained.

Border measures prohibiting foreign nationals from entering Canada from any country other than the United States subject to certain limited exceptions—which are generally not applicable for optional or discretionary purposes, such as tourism, recreation and entertainment—have also been extended until July 31st.

Border measures restricting all non-essential travel, including tourism and recreation, across the Canada-US border remain in effect until July 21st.

CECRA for Small Business Extended Through the End of July 2020.
Property owners and small business tenants will soon be able to access funding for the month of July through Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA).

  • Only those tenants approved in the April, May and June application are eligible for the July extension.
  • If a business had an average revenue decline of 70% or more in April, May and June, they are deemed eligible for the additional month of rent relief. However, not all tenants in the original application need to be included for the July extension.

To streamline the process and make it easier, the Government is removing the requirement to claw-back insurance proceeds and provincial rent supports from the CECRA for the small business forgivable loan amount for both existing and new applicants. Existing applicants who are affected will be notified and will have any previously clawed-back amounts restored to their forgivable loan.
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Provincial Government Update

On the subject of inter-provincial travel, Dr. Henry and Minister Dix issued the following statement as part of their briefing today. 

“A summer in Phase 3 of BC’s Restart Plan means all of us working together to keep our province safe. Whether you live in B.C., are a visitor from another province or are in Canada for essential travel, we all have to do our part to protect our communities, our Elders and our loved ones.

“Any traveller from outside B.C. needs to understand that we have established clear rules for safe social interactions, which include keeping our bubbles small, maintaining a safe distance from others and staying away from others if you are feeling ill.

“Like all British Columbians, whether a resident or not, if you develop symptoms of COVID-19, isolate yourself immediately and call 811 to arrange to be tested.

“We remind anyone coming to British Columbia from outside of Canada that all travellers are required to self-isolate for 14 days prior to interacting with others.

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TIABC Comments on the Summer of Local Travel
 
Staycation 2020: Tourism Operators Ramp up Local Promotions to Salvage the Short Summer Season
Walt Judas quoted in this Globe & Mail article.

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BC H otel Association Survey

The BC Hotel Association (BCHA) is asking all hotel partners to participate in a 5-minute survey as a vital pulse check. Your responses will help BCHA continue to advocate for issues and spotlight the severe impact COVID-19 has had on the industry.


Please submit your response by Wednesday, July 8, 2020 at 12pm PST

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BCTA Requests Support
for BC's Charter Motor Coach Industry
 
The BC charter motor coach industry has seen its revenue drop by approximately 96.8% due to COVID-19 and has written to Ministers Beare and Trevena with several requests.

Simply put, without government support, it is likely a majority of motor coach companies will not survive COVID-19. The BC Trucking Association (BCTA) is seeking government support for the following: flexible vehicle insurance options, advocacy at the federal level for the continuation of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), an extension to the Employer Health Tax exemption, rent subsidies for companies whose landlords do not qualify for Canada Emergency Commercial Rental Assistance (CECRA), and expanded access to forgivable government loans. 

View the letter here:
RRU Tourism and Hospitality Resource Forum Update
 
The RRU Tourism and Hospitality Resource Forum has a range of practical items posted and some 'in demand' items to check out:

  • Under Operations: samples of operational guidelines (hotel pool policy template, with spa policy template coming soon)
  • Under HR: great recorded webinar entitled, Research Recovery and Reskill: Leadership, Communication, and HR Strategies in Times of Crisis

For people wanting to see that the site who have not joined yet, simply contact Geoff Bird for he enrolment key: Geoff.2bird@royalroads.ca

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COVID-19 Weekly Tracker Results

Every week, Leger surveys Canadians and Americans to explore their perspectives on COVID-19 and other current events. Conducted in collaboration with the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS) and published in the Canadian Press, the surveys are available on  Leger’s website.

  • 77% of Canadians think there will be a second wave of the virus.
  • 58% of Canadians and 70% of Americans think it should be mandatory to wear a mask when in public and confined spaces.
  • Americans are more likely than Canadians to report they wear a mask when going grocery shopping (81% vs 56%), going to the pharmacy (65% vs 52%), using public transit (33% vs 22%), working in their office/workplace (35% vs 22%), and going for a walk (36% vs 14%).

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Signals & Sentiments Dashboard

Destination BC has built an easy-to-access dashboard to monitor what is happening in each of BC's core geographic markets, to inform their approach to recovery and resilience marketing activities.

The dashboard data will help BC’s tourism industry quickly understand which markets and audiences can start traveling again, and when, helping Destination BC make informed decisions about when to restart marketing activities and in which geographic markets.

The amount of information and research available right now can be overwhelming, so one goal of the dashboard is to curate, refine and display a snapshot of information that is essential to data-driven decision making. The dashboard includes the following kinds of information, specific to each of our core geographic markets where available:

  • A summary of country (or province/state) status
  • COVID-19 cases by day
  • Government regulations and restrictions
  • Economic information – unemployment rates
  • Travel intent as shown through search behaviour
  • Travel bookings (from various sources),
  • Traveler sentiment, and
  • Community sentiment (BC only)

The dashboard is a curation of available information and is not exhaustive. It does not include an interpretation of the data. It is also a work-in-progress and is expected to grow and improve over time.

Learn more at:
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Tourism Chilliwack Hits the Road

Tourism Chilliwack is taking its Visitors' Centre on the road as part of an innovative recovery plan following the devastating hit local tourism has taken from COVID-19.
 
In partnership with Fraserway RV, "Winston", the nicknamed 25 foot motorhome wrapped in a local outdoors scene, will be going to places where locals and visitors will be hanging out this summer to bring suggestions of things to do and places to see while in the area. 

Learn more at: Tourism Chilliwack Update
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Destination BC Webinars

Destination BC is hosting a series of webinars to support BC’s tourism industry in areas of response, recovery, and resilience from COVID-19. The Road to Recovery webinar series has reached over 1,700 participants since launching on May 12th.

  • July 7: Revisiting your COVID-19 Safety Plan | Register here

Watch recordings of previous webinars:
  • May 12: Business After Re-opening: A Look at the Post-closure Traveller | View recording here
  • May 14: Essential Strategies to Innovate your Visitor Experience and Offerings | View recording here
  • May 19: Planning for Doors Open | View recording here
  • May 21: Managing Expectations and Reputation through Effective Communication | View recording here
  • May 26: Using Social Media to Support Re-opening | View recording here
  • May 28: Building a Digital Marketing Strategy for Re-opening | View recording here
  • June 4: ExploreBC… Virtually | View recording here
  • June 9: Restart Safely: Health & Safety Essentials to Support Re-opening | View recording here
  • June 11: Work Refusal & Other HR Challenges Amid the Restart | View recording here
  • June 16: SEO in Uncertain Times: How it can Help Recovery Efforts | View recording here
  • June 18: Adapting Customer Service & Guest Communication in a Pandemic Impacted Business Environment | View recording here
  • June 25: Returning to Work: Protecting Mental Health | View recording here

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Feel free to send us your ideas on what information would be valuable for TIABC to share through our COVID-19 Bulletin going forward. Drop us a line at info@tiabc.ca.